The Choices We Make
by Copperfishy
Summary: What would have happened if Elena chose Damon in the season 3 finale? My take on season 4 with some major changes. *No sire bond, no cure
1. Chapter 1

I'm back! It's been a while, but I've finally decided to post this story that I finished quite a while ago. I was unsure how people would like it since there's not a lot of plot. Things don't totally go wrong at every turn and there's not a climax or big fight scene like in other stories. It's mostly fluff and focuses heavily on relationships and emotions. This is a Damon/Elena story and it's set in season 4, but there are quite a few changes from canon.

*No sire bond, no Connor, no cure

I've taken my own route with Silas and Klaus because I wanted this story to focus on Elena's transition rather than drama. I think everything gets explained pretty well as I'm rereading and editing as I'm posting, but if anything gets messed up plot wise just try to ignore it because again, this story is all about Elena's transition and her future, not Silas.

Let me know what you think of the first chapter :) I will be updating quickly just like with my last story because this one is already finished.

* * *

Damon looked around the loading dock to the storage warehouse, wondering how the hell he got there. Klaus's burnt-to-a-crisp dead body sat a few feet away, hidden away by his coffin. The Alaric wannabe was gone without a trace, most likely off chasing Rebekah once she fled.

He wasn't a sympathetic guy, but there was something to be said about holding a girl as she watched her brother die.

He sat in the back of the black SUV he and Stefan had gotten to transport Klaus. There was no need for it anymore. Klaus was as good as gone, and so was he for that matter. Within the hour, he'd probably keel over dead like he should have a century ago.

But hey, it's been one hell of a ride.

If he got one last dying wish, he'd probably ask to be in Mystic Falls with his brother and all the people he's come to call his friends. Well, more like the select few people in a large group of potential allies that he can tolerate.

And Elena.

He wished he could spend his last time on this earth with her, even if he had to do it watching her make moon at eyes at his brother. Because let's face it; anything's better than dying alone.

His masochism was probably the only thing that was going to keep him sane before he met his end. Against his better judgment, he'd been gathering up hope about Elena lately. The memory of their kiss at the motel made his lips burn and his heart ache. Maybe it had been some kind of test for her, to see how much she liked kissing him, hell if he knew, but it just didn't seem to matter anymore.

She had kissed him, and that was what mattered. That alone proved that she was seriously considering giving him a chance. So yeah, he'd been hoping that that chance would work in his favor, but he couldn't think about that now.

If he let himself think that he was a real option for Elena to choose, then he'd not only die alone, but devastated that he couldn't have her with him in his final moments. Maybe that made him selfish. Hell, he knew it did. He wanted her here with him, all to himself, when her friends and family were all at home. He couldn't ask her to choose him over his brother, Caroline, and Tyler.

So masochism it was. She wouldn't have chosen him anyways. It will always be Stefan—her words, not his. And he heard every painful syllable as they came from her mouth. They've haunted his dreams and plagued his thoughts. He was a fool to think that she'd choose him, when Stefan was so obviously the better choice.

Stefan was good. Maybe not so much in these past weeks, but when he was in his right mind he was someone that deserved to have Elena. Damon…he was just wrong for her. He was wrong for her for all the right reasons.

He loved her more than he'd ever loved anyone, but the people he loved had a habit of dying. It was for the better that she'd be free of him when this was all over. He was mildly shocked she hadn't died yet, to be honest. At least permanently. There was that little mishap with Klaus and his sacrifice.

The shrill ringing of his phone pulled him out of his head, giving him a distraction at least for the moment. Grabbing it from where it sat next to him in the back of the car, he saw that Elena was calling.

And just like that, everything he just told himself about Stefan being the better choice went out the window.

He hit the green button to answer the phone and smirked, "Let me guess, calling to see if the grim reaper's paid a visit?"

Always best to rely on sarcasm to lighten the mood and hide his feelings.

Elena hurriedly rushed out, "How are you feeling? Are there any symptoms?"

At least she seemed concerned enough to ask him that first. He stood up from the car and said, "Not yet. But I'm sure we'll have a laugh when we find out that Klaus is a big, fat liar."

Optimism was never his style, but for Elena's sake, he'd give her whatever the hell she needed to hear. Deep down, he didn't believe that Klaus was lying. But on the surface, he could pretend and cling to the hope that he'd see Elena soon, because, well, it made him just a touch less pathetic for pining after a girl he can never have when he believed that she wanted him too. At least if he could let himself toy with the idea of her truly being with him, it didn't make him look like a fool.

Elena softly replied, "Yeah, I'm—I'm sure we will."

Her hesitation told him everything he needed to know, but he chose to keep his optimism. If Elena believed that Klaus was telling the truth and that they were all going to die, then maybe by some act of god or whatever you want to call it, some of his hope would rub off on her. Not likely, since they both knew he didn't really mean it, but it was worth a shot.

He'd do anything to stop Elena's suffering.

And just because he still felt that hope that maybe he'd be the one she'd pick, he decided to torture himself just that much more.

"Hey, where are you?"

There was a pause through the line before she said, "Matt's taking me to you."

Damon could've sworn his dead heart jolted to life at her words. Was he hearing her right? She was coming to him? Meaning, she was choosing him over his brother and her friends?

No, he couldn't have heard her right. Or if he did, she must have made a mistake. Because there was absolutely no way she was coming to see him, one guy that has more issues than anyone can count, over her epic love and two good friends.

"What about Stefan? And Caroline? Hell, Tyler even?"

He didn't think he'd be able to handle it if she told him she was turning around to go home, but all be damned his self loathing got the better of him. Yet another reason why she deserved better than him.

But there was one thing he was sure of. While she deserved better, if she didn't choose anyone better, and in fact chose him…well, hell hath no fury like Damon Salvatore in love. That's how the quote went, right?

Elena's sweet voice poured through the speakers and into his ear, "Caroline and Tyler are off spending their last moments with each other, and Stefan…"

He clung desperately to her every word, but the long moment of silence as she thought through her words put a damper on his hope. And Stefan what? Was she still in love with Stefan? Was he misreading this whole situation, thinking that she was choosing him by coming to him? What if life was playing some kind of sick joke on him, and she was going to say that while she'd still choose Stefan, she was closer to him and might not make it home in time to see Stefan so she picked the next best thing?

It sounded irrational once he thought it, but he wouldn't put it past fate.

Elena continued, "I wouldn't be feeling the way that I am about you if I was truly in love with Stefan."

She was actually choosing him. He had to brace himself on a pile of stacked pallets just so his knees wouldn't give out. Relief and happiness both flooded through his body, and he could've done some kind of humiliating dance if he'd wanted to.

"You're coming to me…" He breathed in astonished awe.

He could hear her watery smile as she spoke, "Yeah, I'm coming to you."

A smile as wide as the Amazon River broke out across his face, until he remembered why she was coming to him.

He was a dead man. Just when it started registering that he got the girl, it dawned on him that he'd never get to have her for more than a few minutes. But hell, even a few seconds with Elena were better than none at all.

At least now, he could die a happy man.

"How far away are you?" He asked, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

He heard her ask Matt before she answered, "Five minutes, ten tops."

Smiling lopsidedly, he grinned, "You tell Donovan to put his foot through the floor of that scrap metal he calls a car and make it five before I go out there, hunt you down, and never let you leave my sight."

She laughed softly through a sniffle, the sound filling his ears and making him let out a small laugh of his own. "I'll be there soon."

"Real soon." He repeated, listening to her breathing until the line went dead when she hung up.

* * *

As soon as Elena hung up the phone, she began searching for the contact of the next person she needed to call. Her decision hadn't been easy, but she couldn't keep lying to herself about Damon. Yes, she still loved Stefan. She didn't think she'd ever stop. But, what she felt for Damon was…more.

More everything. More intense, more thrilling, more passionate, more fulfilling, more challenging, just more. Damon made her feel things that she didn't know were possible. He didn't make things easy like they were with Stefan, and she wasn't that lost teenager anymore. She had grown up, grown apart from him, not only because of the things he did to her with Klaus but because she changed. While Stefan was still one of the most important people in her life, she knew that they could never have a relationship again.

Too much filled the canyon between them. They both did things that tainted their once perfect relationship, things that couldn't be taken back or forgotten. She knew it was over between them, and she had every intention of telling him that, not that it mattered when both he and his brother only had an hour left on this earth.

If only she had more time…she would talk to Stefan face to face to tell him everything she was feeling. She'd be able to actually have time with Damon to build a future rather than a measly hour to wish she had figured out her feelings sooner.

"So you picked Damon." Matt interrupted her thoughts.

She glanced at him, her finger hovering over the call button, "I can't imagine life without him." Feeling her eyes tear up knowing that within the hour that nightmare would become her reality, she told herself that Klaus was lying and Damon was going to be okay.

"And Stefan?"

She looked to him sadly, "I already had to live my life without him for an entire summer. I know what it's like, and I know I can do it. I love Stefan, I do…but if I've learned anything since he left with Klaus, it's that I have no idea when I can depend on him. I won't live my life wondering if he's going to fall off the wagon and go back on human blood."

Matt nodded, "But you can trust Damon and know that he'll be there for you no matter what. That's why you're picking him."

Despite the lack of judgment in his tone, Elena still felt the need to defend herself. "I don't want to say it like I'm choosing one over the other, but I know that's what I'm doing. I just hope that at the end of this, Stefan won't hate me. And as for Damon, it's not just because he's always there for me. It's everything about him, from his habit of ruining things every time something goes wrong to the way I can feel his love for me through just one look across the room."

When he simply smiled at her, she pressed the button to call the number. He answered after only one ring.

"Elena?"

She closed her eyes at the hopeful tone in his voice and swallowed the lump in her throat. She croaked out, "Hey, Stefan. Everything okay? Do you still feel fine?"

"Right now, yes." He answered. "What about you?"

Elena couldn't handle crushing his hope. It hurt too damn much, and she couldn't draw this out into some long, painful conversation. She cut right to the chase, feeling her eyes well up with tears, "I'm fine, but I'm on my way to Damon."

She hastily wiped away the tears as they fell, listening to his answering silence. It felt like hours before she finally heard him speak. "So it's Damon then?"

She couldn't have this conversation right now, like this. Not over the phone with Matt listening in, but she had to remind herself that she most likely didn't have a choice. It was now or never, because soon she'd lose both him and his brother. She quickly shook away that thought as it elicited more tears.

Not answering him directly, she said, "I love him, Stefan. You came into my life when I needed someone and I fell head over heels for you instantly, but…" She sniffled, wiping away her tears. "Now…I'm not the same person I was then, grieving over my parents and letting life pass me by. Our relationship has grown toxic, between everything that's happened with Klaus and my feelings for Damon, and it's time to end it. I do love you Stefan, and you taught me how to enjoy life again. But the feelings I have for you aren't the same as the ones I have for him..."

More silence followed, and Elena had to cover her mouth to stifle a sob. Her nerves and emotions were so beyond fried at this point that all she wanted was to curl in bed and sleep for the next year, but she didn't have that luxury.

After a tear-filled silence, Stefan finally said sadly, "I get it. I won't try to change your mind. Just know that no matter what, I will always love you."

She nodded, not caring that he couldn't see and with more determination in her voice than she thought possible said, "You're gonna be fine. You hear me? You're gonna be okay and I'm gonna see you soon."

Klaus was lying about his sire line. He had to be. There was no way she could just accept that this was how their story ended, that this was how she lost the two men that she loved the most.

Just as Matt pulled into the drive for the storage complex, Stefan practically whispered, "I'll see you soon."

As she hung up, her phone chimed with a text from Caroline. She quickly opened it and read it, her heart breaking just that much more at what it said. She looked to Matt sadly, "I just got a text from Caroline." Swallowing thickly, she answered Matt's expectant look, "It's Tyler, he's…"

She didn't need to finish. Matt knew exactly what she was saying. Elena's heart hurt as Matt lashed out, slamming his hands against the wheel. Tyler was Matt's best friend.

But right now, she had to focus on those that were still left. Only when they were gone could she grieve. At least she hoped she'd be able to grieve, because if she couldn't, she knew she wouldn't make it.

When he pulled it together for the moment, Matt drove up to where a garage door was opened and car headlights were streaming out into the night. Before his truck was even parked, Elena threw open the door and jumped out, hurrying towards the car. Matt would stay back if he knew what was good for him.

"Damon!" She yelled as she rounded the corner, watching as he spun around to see her.

He blurred across the room and had her in his arms before she could even blink. As soon as his warm and comforting scent filled her nostrils, the floodgates opened and she sobbed into the crook of his neck.

How was she going to survive losing him? She'd never smell his scent again, or roll her eyes at one of his attempts to make her laugh, or even look into his devastatingly beautiful eyes. His smooth, deep, velvety voice would never soothe her frayed nerves, and she'd never get to see what having a relationship with him would be like.

She had lost so many people. She wasn't sure she'd be able to survive losing Damon, because he's the one that's been there for her through it all. She's trusted him ever since their road trip to Georgia. He told her the truth no matter what, without even sugar coating it. He supported her through learning about Isobel, John, Klaus, Katherine, and any other enemy they've had to deal with. When Stefan left, he was her go-to person. He held her when she cried and made her laugh even though she felt shattered.

How was losing him now fair?

Damon held her tightly as she cried, not caring what the hell she was doing so long as she was in his arms. Just the feeling of her warm, soft body against his made him happy. He rubbed his hand up and down her back soothingly, comforting her with gentle words whispered into her ear and assurances that she'd be okay.

She didn't believe it, but with him saying it she almost could.

Damon forced himself not to hold her so tightly that his vampire strength would break her, but he had to imagine that he was pretty close to it. Elena made no complaint and showed no sign it bothered her though. Having her in his arms made him desperate to live, and he promised himself that he was going to at least try to make this easier for her. He couldn't bear the thought of how broken she would be after losing four of the people closest to her.

As her cries lessened she pulled back, opening her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Damon used his thumbs to dry her face then gave her a small smile. She returned it, albeit sadly, and started, "Damon, I…"

Before she could finish, the last voice either of them wanted to hear cut her off, "Well, isn't this cozy?"

Both of their heads snapped in the direction of Alaric. Damon took a step to stand protectively in front of Elena, his body tense and ready for a fight but his voice light and breezy.

"I see you're still pissed." He took a few steps closer to him, "I take it Goldilocks gave you the slip?"

Alaric wasn't amused. He flashed over to Damon and slammed his head against the side of a metal table, making him see stars before he collapsed to the ground.

Elena cried out, "Damon, no!"

She took one step towards him before Alaric appeared in front of her, cutting off her path. "I gave you a chance to side with me Elena. This world is better off without vampires. I can't kill you because that would mean I die, but I can make sure you don't stop me."

He reached out to grab her, but before he could even lay a finger on her Damon managed to tackle him to the ground. Elena gasped and automatically took a few steps back. She hated that the only thing she could do was watch, but it was the reality of the situation. Stakes wouldn't kill him, and she wasn't strong enough to rip his heart out or decapitate him, physically or emotionally.

Maybe she knew that this Alaric wasn't the man she viewed as a father figure, but he still looked just like him.

Damon and Ric were wrestling around the ground, but it didn't take long at all for Ric to get to his feet and keep Damon down with a few hard kicks. Damon's face was bloodied and contorted in pain as he clutched his stomach, and all Elena could think was that this couldn't be giving him any more time until Klaus's death took him too. Tyler was already gone, and she prayed to god that she'd get a few more moments alone with Damon to tell him how she feels.

Alaric pulled Damon up to his knees by the front of his shirt, glaring down at him. "That's all the fight you've got in you?"

Damon tried, "You're kind of invincible, Ric."

"Don't call me that!" He hissed, kneeing his jaw and sending him flying back down to the ground. Damon groaned in pain and tried to push himself up, but failed. "We're not friends." Alaric said calmly as he towered above him.

Damon rolled onto his back and looked up at the man that he once thought of as his best friend, only this time, he didn't see him anymore. "We were." He managed, spitting out blood.

Alaric easily replied, "Our friendship was part of the problem. It made me weak. It's also why it took so long for the real me to break through." He knelt down closer to Damon, looking at him with nothing but disgust and hatred, "And now I'm gonna break you."

Elena watched in horror as Alaric reared Damon up to his feet with ease and slammed him against the side of the car, the white oak stake in his already cocked arm. Damon was too weak to fight him, and despite the promise he made to himself to fight he just couldn't.

He was a dead man anyway. At least this way, he could die knowing it wasn't at Klaus's hands.

His gaze drifting to Elena to get one last look at her, Damon weakly smiled before his eyes slipped shut and he sagged against the car, ready for death.

Elena would not let that happen. Her instincts to protect the man she loved took over at that point and she launched herself towards them as fast as she could. She knew she couldn't move Alaric and trying would just waste her time, so she did the next best thing. Alaric wouldn't kill Damon if it meant killing her.

She wedged herself between them to protect Damon's body at the last second, except it had been too late. Alaric had already thrust the stake forward, and she ran right into it. Looking down at the end of the stake covered in a metal design protruding from her chest, Elena fell to her knees. There was no pain, no noise, no worries.

Damon instantly caught her as she fell, shock too present to let him register what she had just done. They both fell the floor as did Alaric, who held none of their attention. Damon's hands began shaking when he saw that the stake had gone completely through her, the tip sticking out of her back.

"No, no, no, no, no! NO!" He screamed, pulling the stake from her unconscious body with ease and sinking his teeth into his wrist. As his blood spilled from the wound, he forced it against her mouth, prying open her unresponsive lips to make her drink the blood.

She still wasn't moving. He was absolutely drenched in her blood, and it was still pouring out of her chest and her back. "Elena! Oh my god, no, no, Elena!" He yelled, trying to shake her awake.

He looked for Alaric, immediately seeing him lying on the ground, his skin an ashen gray with veins protruding from his body.

Panic quickly washed over him as the implications of Alaric being dead hit him. It burned in his heart, pumped through his veins as his body rejected the feeling. His throat was tight, his chest felt like it was being crushed, and his vision blurred as his eyes filled with tears.

He looked back down at Elena's limp body laying in his lap, and with a shaky hand he brushed her silky hair out of her face, "Elena, baby…"

There was no response. Drops of clear liquid landed on her face, and it was only when he blinked and felt the burn in his eyes that he realized they were his tears. He sucked in a ragged breath and began shaking his head, telling himself that this wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. There was no way on this earth that Elena sacrificed her own life for his.

It wasn't fair to her. Dammit, why couldn't she have just let him get staked!? He was supposed to die anyways! She was supposed to live through this, and move on with her life! Maybe find a nice guy a few years down the road to start a family with!

A new wave of tears began falling and he cradled her closer to his chest, burying his face in her neck. Her lifeless body did little to comfort his sobs. The pain was too overwhelming. It ached through every last nerve of his body until he was sure he wasn't going to survive it. How was he supposed to live without the person that made him glad to be alive? That made his life worth living? That gave him purpose?

The minutes blended together until he couldn't tell if a few seconds had passed or a few hours. He sat holding Elena, silently staring at her pale face for god knows how long. Her skin looked so soft as the color quickly drained away. Her long straight hair slipped through his bloody fingers with some difficultly since the ends were tangled and matted with blood.

He didn't know how to process the situation. He didn't know what to accept, or think, or do…all he knew was that if Elena was really gone, he was glad he was about to die soon anyway.

It was only when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye that he tore his gaze away from the tragically beautiful girl in his arms. Matt stood with a horrified expression on his face when he caught sight of them. Damon was sure he looked like hell, his eyes red, his cheeks wet with tears, his body stained in blood, his and mostly hers, and every bit of anguish he was feeling displayed plain as day on his face.

Maybe before he'd care that Donovan was seeing him like this, but back then, he wasn't holding the love of his life's dead body in his arms.

He honestly couldn't tell you what happened next. His gaze had remained on Elena's face until the sheriff, or ex-sheriff, or whatever, arrived and forced him to let go of her so she could be taken to the hospital. Hospital his ass, more like the morgue.

He reluctantly got into Matt's truck with him so they could follow them to the hospital. Under any other circumstance, he would have flat out refused to ever ride with the jock, but this was different. His entire world just came crashing down, and he didn't know what to do. He could only pray the end was near and soon he wouldn't have to feel like this.

Damon couldn't think of calling anyone to tell them either. It was the least of his concerns, and Matt probably already took care of it.

When they got to the hospital, Damon took a moment to clean himself up in the bathroom. He'd need more than an impromptu sink bath, and his clothes were beyond ruined, but for the moment it would do. He didn't see where Matt had gone, nor did he care.

As he exited the bathroom, his face and hands cleaned, his feet automatically took him towards the morgue. He rounded the corner and found that nobody was waiting there yet except Dr. Fell. He wasn't entirely on board with trusting her, but at the moment nothing really mattered. She probably wanted answers as to what happened, and though he had no desire to tell the whole story to her, she was the one that could take him to Elena. He prayed that his death would come soon, hopefully once he got to take in her angelic face one last time.

She glanced up and paused when she saw him, dropping the clipboard she bad been scribbling on to a chair and walking towards him.

He whispered brokenly, "I just need to see her one more time…"

She looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot while wringing her hands and staring at the floor. Then she looked up at him and said, "Damon…when Jeremy brought her in here earlier because she had passed out, her injuries were worse than I led on. It wasn't a concussion, it was a cerebral hemorrhage. If I didn't do what I did, she never would have survived."

He frowned, eying her cautiously, "What are you saying?"

She worried her lower lip before saying, "I gave her your blood. She had vampire blood in her system when she died."


	2. Chapter 2

As promised, here's the next chapter!

* * *

Elena's eyes fluttered open as the bright light of day penetrated her eyelids. Her throat felt dry, and she looked to her nightstand for a glass of water, but there was none. She frowned, wondering how she got in her bed.

Her memory of last night was foggy, but it only took a few more seconds for her to remember what had happened. She jolted up into a sitting position and clutched her chest while feeling an arm around her waist straining against her movement. She looked down to see Damon still asleep next to her, his strong arm now lying in her lap.

Looking between him and her unmarred chest, she wondered what the hell was going on. Had she dreamed that? She hadn't thought so, because if she had Damon wouldn't be lying next to her in bed right now.

But how did she get here…she had thought she died. Or maybe Damon had saved her by giving her his blood and she just couldn't remember it?

Relaxing slightly, she fell back down in bed and turned on her side to face Damon. He could answer her questions. Running a hand through his hair, she whispered his name until he woke up.

As soon as his eyes registered what he was seeing, he had his arms wrapped around Elena's now conscious form as he breathed, "Elena, thank god."

Her mouth turned down in a slight frown but she hugged him back. She couldn't understand the amount of relief Damon felt at the sight of her eyes open and alert, her body moving though still a little pale.

Still in his arms and unable to see his face, she asked, "Damon, what's going on?"

That made him pull back slightly only to look at her sadly. He sat up and brought her with him in his arms. She noticed that while they were both under the covers Damon was fully dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt.

Turning to face her, he took her hand in his and asked, "What do you remember about last night?"

With a slight crease between her brows, she ran through her memories until reaching the last thing she could recall. "We were at the storage warehouse, and you were fighting Alaric. He…he was going to kill you, and I—I couldn't let him do that. So I jumped in front of you, but it was too late…"

His face growing hard for a moment, he said, "It was incredibly stupid of you."

She rolled her eyes a little, "But if I hadn't done it, you wouldn't be here."

"But you would!" He snapped, then quickly clamped his mouth shut. He ran a hand through his hair, avoiding Elena's confused gaze. "You should have just let him stake me. I was a dead man."

"But…" Elena started, but cut herself off. "Wait, why aren't you dead?" Backtracking to correct her insensitive statement, she corrected, "I mean, Klaus…"

"Isn't as dead as we thought." Damon finished for her. "Bonnie spilled the beans at the hospital last night. He's in Tyler's body."

"What?" Elena gasped. "Wait, what the hell happened last night? Did you save me from dying and I just don't remember?"

A regretful look passed through Damon's handsome features that made Elena all the more jumpy.

"How are you feeling?" He asked instead of answering her.

"Don't avoid my question, Damon, tell me!" She demanded.

He sighed, closing his eyes and dropping his head. "No, I didn't save you. It was too late."

She furrowed her brows, "What—"

"I'll get you some water." He said, abruptly standing up to end her train of thought. Without waiting for a reply, he went into her bathroom to fill a glass. He returned to her and sat down on the edge of her bed, handing her the cup. She took a large gulp before setting it on her nightstand, but before either of them could say another word there was a knock on her door before it opened, revealing Stefan.

He looked surprised to see her awake, but quickly composed himself and asked, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Fine…" She answered hesitantly, looking between the brothers that both seemed to be avoiding eye contact. Stefan stood with his arms crossed, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting after he acknowledged her reply. She looked to Damon and took his hand in hers, "What aren't you telling me?"

Damon shared a look with Stefan before sighing, "You remember how you passed out yesterday and Jeremy took you to the hospital?" She nodded, not seeing how that was relevant but she listened anyway. "You didn't have a concussion. Your brain was bleeding, and you would have died had Meredith not done what she did. She gave you my blood to heal you. And when you stupidly jumped in front of me, Alaric staked you, and you…died. So did Ric."

"Wait," she started, panic already making it's way into her mind, "I'm dead?" Stefan and Damon both nodded sadly. Her eyes began filling with tears and she shook her head, "No, no, this wasn't supposed to happen! Alaric was just supposed to back off!"

Stefan quickly walked towards her and knelt down at her side while Damon explained, "It was too late. He hadn't reacted fast enough. You're…in transition."

She caught the tears with her hands as they streamed down her face, and Stefan told her, "You have time to let this sink in Elena. You don't have to make any decisions yet. I called Bonnie and she thinks she might be able to find a way for you to get out of this. She's stronger than ever and she has the power if she can figure it out."

Damon scoffed, "That's a load of bullshit Stefan and you know it. When in the history of vampirism has a vampire ever been able to get out of turning without dying?"

Though his words were harsh, Elena knew he was right. He wouldn't bullshit her and give her false hope like Stefan always did. She meant what she said last night, that Damon was her choice. Even now in death—no, especially now in death, she seemed to appreciate his honesty more than ever.

Stefan argued back, "You don't know that, Bonnie has a lot of power, there's still a chance she can—"

"I'm going to take a shower." Elena interrupted him, standing to her feet. She needed a minute alone with her thoughts to process this, and she couldn't do that with the two of them going at each other's throats. She understood that this was difficult for them too, but she wasn't exactly happy with it either.

She didn't wait for a reply. She just went into her bathroom and grabbed a towel from her closet on the way. When she had the bathroom door locked behind her, she braced her hands on the sink and looked into the mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes and her skin had an odd gray tint to it that she hoped would go away when she fed.

If she fed.

It was still hard to grasp that she had really died. She didn't feel dead…or any different, really. Maybe a little bit jumpy, but nothing out of the ordinary. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, listening to the brothers' arguing through the door. Most of their words were muffled, but she caught the occasional sentence.

"Maybe if you hadn't been so selfish and asked her to come to you…" Stefan's hushed voice hissed.

She shook her head, knowing without a doubt that what happened wasn't Damon's fault. It was no one's fault but her own. And hey, at least it got Alaric out of the way. There was one bright side. And another would be that Damon was still alive, against all odds.

After some more arguing she couldn't understand, she heard Damon growl, "I didn't force her to do it! Don't get mad at me because she sacrificed her life for mine and chose me!"

And she'd do it again in a heartbeat, she thought instantly. If she hadn't jumped in front of that stake, then Damon would be dead. As it turned out, Klaus survived, in Tyler's body apparently, so while everyone would have lived Damon would still be dead. And she couldn't handle that.

So yes, she gave up her own life unaware that it was going to happen, but again looking at the bright side she got a second chance. Maybe it wasn't so lucky that it was as a vampire, but it still counted.

She never wanted to be a vampire. She was deathly afraid of who she would become, what she would become if she completed the transition. She couldn't stomach it if she became a ripper like Stefan, yet at the same time she wasn't ready to die. She had her brother, her friends, and Damon to live for. There was so much in life that she still wanted to do, even if it was as a vampire. Her decision seemed simple really, when the only opinions she listened to were her own.

Her thoughts drifted to Stefan as she heard his voice mutter something. A part of her wanted to go running back to him because she knew that he wasn't going to pressure her into turning. And if she did decide to feed, then she wanted him to teach her how to feed on animals.

Maybe he wasn't the best person to teach her control, but at least he wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want to do.

Damon would undoubtedly want her to turn. For him, there wouldn't even be another option. He would never let her die, and when she turned, he'd never let her feed on animals. He'd want her to feed on humans, but she didn't know if she'd emotionally be able to. If she hurt someone…

Shaking her head, Elena stripped off the pajamas that she idly wondered how were put on her and stepped under the hot spray of the shower. The noise sounded different, louder and more intense as it rang through her ears, but at least it kept her from hearing the argument right outside her door.

Damon, his brother having pushed him to beyond pissed off, gladly stormed out of the room when his phone started ringing. How dare he have the nerve to blame him for Elena's death? He didn't have to sit there and hold her as she died without being able to do a damn thing!

He got that his brother was pissed Elena chose to come to him instead, but that didn't give him the right to go playing the blame game. If Elena had chosen Stefan and something happened where she died, he wouldn't be blaming his brother when he knew without a doubt that Stefan would do whatever it took to save her.

It made him feel like shit knowing his brother didn't believe in his love for her. He didn't think that he loved her the way she deserved to be loved. His relationship with Stefan had definitely improved in the time they'd known Elena, but that? Stefan's refusal to believe Damon did everything he could to save her set them back quite a few steps.

Damon had plenty of time to berate himself for having a delayed reaction while he waited for Elena to wake up. What could he have done differently? If he hadn't been so shocked at first, he could have reacted faster and saved her.

But he learned long ago that the what-if game was only reserved for times of desperation when he wanted to feel pain. Right now, he had to be there for Elena. She was confused, upset, and the last thing he wanted her to feel was alone.

Looking at his phone and seeing Bonnie's name on the screen, he picked it up, "Hey there Bon-Bon, checking up on our undead girl?"

Bonnie scowled at the poorly timed joke but ignored it. It was common knowledge that Damon used jokes to hide his feelings. "Have you heard from Caroline?" She asked instead.

He frowned, leaning against the doorjamb that led into the kitchen, "Not since last night, why?"

"I've been trying to call her all morning to tell her that Tyler isn't really dead, but she's not answering. Nobody's heard from her, and I got a call from Liz saying she was on the phone with her then heard some scuffling and Caroline was cut off midsentence before the line went dead." Bonnie hastily explained.

"What else did Liz say?" Damon asked.

"Just that Pastor Young and the council removed her and Tyler's mom from their positions as sheriff and mayor. Liz had called Care to warn her, but then that happened."

Damon cursed to himself and sighed, "Alright, fine. I'm gonna go round up my brother and we'll see what we can find out."

He hung up after that, and just as he moved to head back upstairs he spotted his brother already halfway down the steps. Putting aside their argument for the moment, he said, "Bad news, Barbie's gone AWOL and we have to go look for her."

"Caroline's missing?" Stefan asked in confusion.

"Go find Jeremy and get him to stay here with Elena. See what you can find out from Liz, I'm going to pay a certain blonde bitch a visit and see what she knows." Damon answered.

"You're going to pick a fight with Rebekah right now? Seriously Damon? She's probably halfway across the world by now!" Stefan argued.

Damon shook his head, "Not without Klaus's body, which has conveniently gone missing. By now her and Elijah know something's up since we didn't die, and they won't leave without getting their answers."

Stefan shook his head, "Fine, go look for her. But we shouldn't leave Elena here alone with a human while in transition."

He sighed, knowing his brother was right. Elena was unstable right now, and she could do something that would hurt Jeremy if she caught even the slightest whiff of blood. "You stay, I'll go." Damon said as he walked towards the door.

"Damon, no." Stefan argued. "We both know you're the better option to teach her about vampirism. Just…don't do anything stupid until I get back."

While Damon had no argument there, he still wasn't convinced that Stefan should be the one to go out there and have a showdown with Barbie Klaus. "Be careful, brother." Damon said quietly just before he left.

Upstairs, Elena had just stepped out of the shower, feeling a little better now that she was cleaned up. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater she'd brought into the bathroom with her before stepping out into her room. She found that Stefan was gone, but Damon was still there sitting on her window seat.

"Where's—" She began, wanting to ask where Stefan had gone, but he cut her off.

"Cute pj's."

She frowned, looking down at her outfit. She definitely wasn't wearing pajamas. She moved to toss her towel into her hamper while readying a response, but found that Damon's gaze was still fixed on her bathroom.

"I'm tired, Damon."

She snapped her head in the direction of her own voice, and watched in thick confusion as she walked out of the bathroom. She looked between herself and Damon as he stood up and walked towards her. Not her her, but the version of her that she was watching.

"Brought you this." He said, holding up her necklace.

"I thought that was gone." Her double said. "Thank you." She moved to take it, but Damon pulled it away.

She blinked and suddenly both Damon and herself were gone, and she was standing in her empty bedroom. Utterly confused, she inspected the entire room, even looking behind her, but she found nothing.

Then she heard Damon's voice, "I just have to say something."

She looked forward again and the scene was back. Her double asked nervously, "Why do you have to say it with my necklace?"

Damon replied, "Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my life."

"Damon don't go there." She said softly.

Stepping closer, Damon insisted, "I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it." When had this happened? She wasn't going crazy and imagining things, right? She watched in shock and bewilderment as Damon said, "I love you, Elena. And it's because I love you, that…I can't be selfish with you. And why you can't know this. I don't deserve you."

Was this a memory? Surely if this had never happened Elena's heart wouldn't be hurting listening to his confession, right? As she recalled that night in her memory, it registered that she had no idea where she got her necklace from. It had just appeared and she'd accepted it, chalking it up to her forgetting.

"But my brother does." Damon continued.

He didn't think he deserved to have her? Yet he thought Stefan did? One wasn't better than the other, and she hadn't realized he really felt that way. If she had, then maybe she would have said something to him about it.

It broke her heart as she watched him step forward and press his lips against her forehead in an innocent kiss. Then he sadly said, "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this." His hand lingered on her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek. "But you do." He whispered as a single tear slid down his cheek.

Elena blinked back her own tears, and when she opened her eyes the scene was gone. Damon had compelled her to forget that. The first time he told her he loved her, he made her forget because he believed she was happy with his brother. Instead of loading the truth behind his feelings onto her and muddling up her and Stefan's relationship, he kept the information to himself even though it had been killing him.

She absently reached to grab her necklace, only it was no longer there. It was surely lost by now, but it didn't really serve a purpose anymore. She didn't need vervain to protect herself, and she definitely didn't need it as a reminder of her and Stefan's relationship.

Sitting down on her bed as she suddenly felt lightheaded, she found that she was quickly getting angry that he had compelled her. He messed with her mind and betrayed her trust, taking away a memory she would have loved to have. Instead of thinking that Damon's love confession was with him dying from a wolf bite, she now knew that he told her much sooner than that. He had loved her long before he voiced his affections.

He had no right to take that away from her, even if he thought he was doing what was best. It wasn't his call to make, because it was her emotions that he was messing with.

She only hoped that with time, she'd be able to sort through all of her feelings. She promised herself in that moment that she wouldn't act on her desires until she got this whole vampire thing figured out. It wouldn't do anyone any good if she let her heightened emotions control her only to have them change a few minutes later.

Elena moved to the vanity in her room, looking at all of the pictures lining the frame. The many faces of her friends and family stared back, almost like they were judging her. She wondered if they'd still like her if she became a vampire, or if she'd lose some of them. Damon and Stefan would still be there, she surmised, Caroline too. The vampires would understand.

But what about Bonnie? It was no secret she didn't like vampires. In fact, that was an understatement. She loathed them. And what about her brother? Would he look at her like she was his sister or a monster?

She wondered what her parents would think of her. Would they be disappointed in the choices she made that led her up to his point?

A fly buzzing around her room suddenly sounded as loud as lawn mower as it zoomed past her, and she jumped at the loudness. She spotted Jeremy standing in the door, and she sighed in relief at seeing him. She hadn't seen him since before she…you know…died.

"Jer…"

She was already halfway across the room by the time the sound left her mouth. He met her halfway and brought her into his arms. She again wondered just when he started to fill out and get so big.

When they separated, he asked, "You okay? I watched Vicki go through this, she was a mess. Her emotions were all over the place, all these old memories came flooding back."

Elena felt on edge, listening to the hum of electricity from her lamp but she told him, "I'm fine. I'm not Vicki." He was right about the memories, she thought angrily at what Damon compelled her to forget. She wondered for the first time if there was anything else he compelled her to do. She supposed she'd find out soon enough.

Jeremy agreed, "No, you're not, you're you. You act like everything's okay so no one worries about you but you need help."

She refused to admit he was right. She had too many things going through her head that only she could figure out, from the memory she just got back of Damon to her decision regarding turning.

"I said I'm fine." She assured him. "Just on edge. Have you talked to Bonnie?"

If she could figure out a way to keep Elena human, then that would be one less problem she had to deal with.

Jeremy replied, "Yeah. She said when I was shot she made some plea to the witches. She was going there to see what they could do."

Elena immediately pointed out, "But there were horrible consequences, Jeremy!" She wouldn't make Bonnie do this if it meant she had to live with ghosts haunting her or something equally terrifying, not to mention what the spirits would do to Bonnie if she went down there asking for yet another favor.

He shot back, "What could be more horrible than you turning into a vampire?"

Elena visibly flinched at his words. That answered the question she had posed earlier about what his reaction to her turning would be. He'd hate her. She'd thought that he would be more understanding, preferring to have his sister as a vampire rather than not at all, but it seemed she was wrong. If she turned, she'd lose Jeremy.

"I need my sister. Not another one of them." He explained softly.

She had been clinging to the notion that if she turned, she'd still be the same person. Everything would just more intense. That's what it was like for all vampires, and she wouldn't be any different. But that wasn't how Jeremy saw it, and after all the shit he's been through with vampires, she knew she wouldn't be able to change his mind.

Trying to reassure him, she said, "We're gonna make it through this. Everything's gonna be okay."

Already backing away, Jeremy replied, "I hope so."

Elena felt herself beginning to crumble. Deep down, she knew Bonnie wasn't going to be able to find a way. It was impossible. Damon was right, like always, and he hadn't sugar coated anything. She had to feed, or she was going to die.

Now, the question was does she feed and let everyone hate her, or does she die and lose everything?

Her stomach twisted with hunger or anxiety or something and she decided that finding something to eat just to keep herself occupied wouldn't be such a bad idea. She was standing at the top of the steps when she came to a grinding halt at the sight of Damon standing halfway up the stairs. He no doubt heard everything Jeremy just said, judging by the sympathetic look on his face.

Pulling herself together, she began walking down to meet him but as soon as his scent hit her she felt everything burst. She threw herself into his awaiting arms and squeezed her eyes shut tightly to hold in any more tears that might try to leak out.

Damon just held her as she sought his comfort, and he gave her whatever she needed. A few moments later, he kissed the side of her head and nudged her face back so he could look at her.

She hated being so weak, constantly crying and breaking down.

She shook her head, "I don't want to die, Damon, but I don't want to be a vampire."

Her voice breaking and her face expressing her internal struggle as clear as day, Damon held her head against his shoulder and let her do whatever she needed. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't make this decision for her. He had that choice taken away from him, and it made him hate his brother for over a century. Maybe he could live with Elena hating him so long as she was alive, but he couldn't live knowing he put her through the same pain he had to live with his entire undead life.

Jeremy had some nerve to tell his sister he preferred her dead than a vampire when he damn well knew she was already in transition. He would get a serious talk from him once he got the chance, because he had no right to come at Elena like that when she had no control over the situation.

He sat down on the steps, bringing her with him and into his lap while telling her, "Being a vampire isn't that bad, Elena. I promise. It will take some getting used to at first, but you are not alone. I will personally teach you everything you need to know. You will get through this."

Her face still pressed against his neck, she mumbled, "But what if nobody likes me as a vampire? Jeremy already said that nothing could be worse than that, and I can't handle losing anyone."

Damon ground his teeth together, vowing that he was going to talk some sense into that punk for ever saying that to his sister, who has sacrificed so much for him. The ungrateful little shit, how dare he tell her that he'd rather her die than transition?

Damon pressed his lips to her hair and said, "Jeremy won't hate you. Nobody will. If anyone can handle being a vampire Elena, it's you. You are by far the strongest person I've ever met. You're not going to lose anyone, and if they have anything bad to say then they can come to me. If it weren't for you, then I'd be dead right now. I can't thank you enough for that, even if you shouldn't have done it."

She pulled back slightly to look at his face. "If I had to, I'd do it again." She told him. "I won't lose you. I can't."

He recalled saying words very similar to those to her before Klaus sacrificed her, and to think that now she was saying them to him made a smile pull at the corner of his mouth. He rested his forehead against hers, searching for the words he wanted to say, "I can't lose you either, Elena…which is why I need you to feed."

She nodded, whispering sadly, "I know. But I'm scared."

Damon brought his hand up to her cheek, gently pushing her hair behind her ear then rubbing him thumb against her soft skin, "I will be there for you. So will Stefan, and Caroline, Bonnie too. She's your best friend, and she accepted Caroline as a vampire. Your brother will come with time, trust me. You won't lose anyone for choosing to live. Nobody has the balls to blame you for that."

She smiled slightly and nodded, then asked, "Can you do something to distract me for a while? Apparently Bonnie is still seeing the witches, and I don't want to do anything until she tells us what the verdict is."

"You came to the right person." He smirked and wiggled his brows, "I happen to know the perfect distraction for you."

She blew out a laugh and lightly slapped his arm, "Not what I meant."

As she stood up from his lap and they walked down the stairs, Damon chuckled, "Get your head out of the gutter, Elena, I was talking about card games!"

Elena snorted and shook her head, "Can you just make me something to eat? I'm starved."

Damon didn't comment that what Elena was hungry for wasn't food, and she didn't stop to think about it either. Instead, he followed her into the kitchen, watching as she plopped down on a seat at the island. He debated on what to make her, knowing she loved his spaghetti and meatballs with homemade sauce, but he also knew that no matter what he made, it would taste awful to her. He opted to make her sandwich.

As he began pulling out all of the ingredients for her food, she asked, "So Caroline is missing?"

Not even questioning how she knew that, he pointed out, "I thought you wanted a distraction."

She sighed, "I know, but can I ever really be distracted from my life?" He shrugged, slathering some mayonnaise on a slice of bread since he knew she loved the stuff. "So what happened? My hearing kind of went in and out…"

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about." He smirked. "Stefan's already on it. He was going to the blonde she-devil to find out what she was up to. Klaus's body mysteriously went missing, and my guess is that he wants to go from Tyler's body back to his own."

"What does that have to do with Caroline?" Elena asked.

Damon piled some turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions onto the bread, then squirted some mustard onto the other half, "Nothing, really, unless she knows something about it. It looks like the council is out for vampire blood with Pastor Young leading the whole suicide squad. Liz Forbes and Carol Lockwood have both been deemed sympathizers and removed from their jobs."

"They can't possibly think that they can take on every vampire in town." She pointed out.

Squishing down the top piece of bread and cutting the sandwich into two triangles, Damon replied, "Odds are, they don't know how many vampires are in town. Pastor Young has no idea who to trust, and my bets would be he took Caroline because he knew she was a vampire and because she'd know who else in this town was a vampire."

"Where do you think he'd take her?" Elena asked as Damon slid the plate in front of her. He had to admit, he was kind of excited to see her dry heave at the taste of it.

"I don't know." Damon shrugged, but as Elena picked up one half of the sandwich a large smirk spread across his face. She bit into one of the corners and hesitantly chewed a few times before frowning and grimacing. Damon couldn't stop the laugh that escaped, and as Elena ran to the trash can to spit out the bite, he was laughing at her so hard his stomach hurt.

She rinsed out her mouth with water then began attacking him halfheartedly with her open hands, "You knew it was going to be gross, didn't you!?"

"Yes," Damon answered through a grin. "I knew it was going to be disgusting since the second you expressed your want for food." His expression growing a little more serious, he said, "Baby, it's not people food your body's craving, and you know that. Anyone that thinks there's a way out of transition is a fool. If you want to live, you need to feed."

She nodded and dropped her gaze to her hands, "I know. I just can't believe that this is really happening, that I'm really going to be a vampire…" He didn't comment, he just waited for her to think it through and say whatever she wanted to say. She inhaled sharply, "Damon…what if I kill somebody?"

He smiled sadly, "That's a part of being a vampire, Elena. You don't have to kill, and if you choose to turn then I'll teach you how to feed without killing. But if that's what you decide, then you also need to accept the fact that you're gonna kill someone at some point. No vampire in existence has clean hands."

Taking a deep breath, Elena considered his words. She appreciated that he wasn't painting everything perfect. Sometimes she needed to hear the cold hard truth, no matter what it was.

As Damon cleaned up her abandoned sandwich, Elena mentally made a list of pros and cons of each decision.

Turning would mean that she still got to live. She'd get to explore a relationship with Damon while mending broken friendships. She would be stronger than ever, and faster, not to mention all of the enhanced senses. But it would also mean never growing old, or having kids, but dying meant that as well.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that dying was just a stupid choice. She would leave behind Jeremy to have no family left. Stefan and Damon would be devastated. She had more reasons to live as a vampire than to die as a human.

"I'm gonna feed." She said with conviction, raising her eyes to meet Damon's carefully guarded ones. "I didn't survive all the shit we've been through only to die now. I'm not done living yet, and I know that turning would mean never growing up or having children, but if I'm just going to die anyways who cares?"

"You're sure?" Damon asked flatly, feeling excited for her decision yet terrified that she'd change her mind. The demon inside of him was barely contained at the mental picture of Elena becoming just like him, especially since it was his blood that turned her. His demon wanted her, wanted to claim her, to teach her, to be with her.

She nodded confidently, "I'm sure. And anyone that has a problem with my decision clearly doesn't want me here as much as I thought."

A smirk played at the corner of his lips at the sight of that fire burning inside of her. Even in transition it scorched hot and bright.

"I have blood bags at the boarding house. Want to come with?"

"Should we wait for Stefan first?"

"For what?" Damon scoffed.

"I think he'd want to talk to me before I completed the transition…" Elena said unsurely.

Damon blew out a sarcastic laugh, "Why, so he can talk you out of it?"

Elena sighed, "Look, Damon…" She didn't know how to tell him that while she and Stefan were no more, she and him weren't anything right now either without hurting him. "Stefan and I are over, and that's not going to change, so please don't think that what I'm about to say has anything to do with him or my feelings for him." She swallowed thickly at the unreadable expression on his face. "I know what I said during that call yesterday, that my feelings for you were more than anything I've ever felt, but…I'm dead now. I know that you want this to work, that you want us to work, but that's just not going to happen right now. It doesn't have anything to do with you, so please don't take it personally. My feelings for you haven't changed either, and I don't see that happening anytime soon, but this…" She trailed off, unsure of what she even wanted to say.

"Is a big change." Damon finished for her. "Once you feed, everything will be heightened and you'll have to adjust to your new emotions that can spiral so easily." He closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands, "I'll give you as much time as you need, Elena, as long as you can promise me there is a chance. That I'm not standing here looking like a fool for ever wanting more with you."

Looking up into his piercing blue eyes, she was once again reminded of the memory he compelled away. She'd have to address it eventually, but it could wait. That was just one of the things she needed to sort out once she had made a stable transition.

"I promise you Damon, there is a chance. A pretty big chance, honestly. I just don't want to rush into things when everything is so confusing. I want to give us the best chance possible, and that means sorting out everything with my transition and Stefan first."

He felt relieved, and much more relaxed at the news. He didn't know if he'd be able to handle it if she went back to Stefan. At least not without doing something stupid.

Now all that was left to do was get Elena some human blood.


	3. Chapter 3

Two chapters in a row, read chapter 2 first!

* * *

"Dammit, Stefan…" Damon mumbled as he got Stefan's voicemail for the fifth time in a row.

"Maybe we should go look for him…" Elena suggested, pacing around her living room.

Immediately arguing, Damon pressed, "You need to feed before we do anything."

She huffed, "No, not when both Stefan and Caroline are missing. We have to find them first or else we could be too late."

Closing his eyes, Damon took a deep, unnecessary breath just before his phone started ringing. He frowned a little when he saw Caroline's name written across the screen, and showed it to Elena before answering, "What?"

"Seriously!?" She screeched. "I was kidnapped, and the first thing you have to say to me when you find out I'm okay is 'what'?"

Damon rolled his eyes, "Remind me to send a fruit basket. Do you prefer honeydew or cantaloupe?"

Caroline seethed, "I don't know why I even called you!" After a brief pause where Damon simply smirked, she continued, "Klaus in Tyler's body saved me but left Rebekah and Stefan tied up in the van to die after he caused it to crash."

"Where did you crash?" Damon asked, grabbing his keys and nodding his head towards the door for Elena to follow him.

"Somewhere on the outskirts of town. North, I think. By the time I figured out Tyler was actually Klaus and went back to the crash to try and get Stefan, they were already gone. All that's around are fields and trees."

"Got it. Do me a favor and don't even think about trying to go after Stefan. You'll just fuck something up."

Elena smiled at Damon's words, knowing that was his way of saying he didn't want Caroline to get hurt. She obviously wasn't going to hear it that way, but Elena did. Damon would never admit to it either, but he didn't need to. It was clear as day to Elena.

She climbed into the passenger seat of Damon's Camaro as he hung up the phone, and she didn't dare question his earlier persistence that she feed before they do anything. Instead, he seemed to have forgotten all about it as he twisted the key in the ignition and asked, "What's a place on the edge of town where you'd be able to hold vampires?"

Elena racked her brain for options until something struck her, "Pastor Young owns a cattle ranch. I bet he'd be able to modify cow pens to hold a vampire."

"Tell me where to go." Damon said, already zipping out of the drive.

The only time either of them spoke was when Elena gave him directions. She supposed they really didn't have much to say to each other. She needed to focus on her transition first and foremost, and then she could figure out everything else.

Damon parked on the road a little ways away from the house so there was no suspicion about them being there. As they stepped out of the car, he said, "Go to the door and wait for Pastor Young to answer. I can hear him inside. Tell him that you just lost someone close to you and you want to talk about it with him, and keep him distracted as long as you can. He knows I'm a vampire, I'm sure of it, but he doesn't know that you're in transition. I'm going to check out the place and see what I can find."

"How will I know when you're done?" She asked, already walking with purpose towards the house.

He just smirked, "Trust me, you'll know."

She rolled her eyes but trusted him, so she stepped onto the small porch and knocked as soon as Damon disappeared from sight. Pastor Young was surprised to see her, until she explained that she recently lost another friend and she wanted to talk. He invited her into his home with open arms, though he never actually said the words. Elena passed the test as she stepped through the threshold and followed him into the kitchen.

As he began making her a cup of tea, she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Feverish, and jumpy, and—and hungry. The word hit her like a ton of bricks, and suddenly all she could focus on was the deafening thrumming of the pastor's beating heart. They were in a small enclosed space now, and she didn't have as much fresh air to breathe where she could clear her senses and focus.

She hoped that he'd chalk up her behavior to grief. After all, he knew how many people she'd lost and grieved. At this point, there was no inappropriate behavior for coping.

The pastor went through basic questions, and she found that the answers she was giving him weren't entirely false. She figured if anyone could use an impartial party to talk to about her losses, it was her. And remembering all of the loved ones she lost helped distract her from the burning hunger boiling deep inside of her stomach. Her body knew exactly what it wanted, and she caught herself staring at the pastor's neck more than once. He seemed oblivious to the fact though, thankfully, as he gave her advice and listened to her.

She was itching to know what was happening outside with Damon. They weren't entirely sure Stefan was even here, and then there was Damon's cryptic 'you'd know when I'm done' line. What was that supposed to mean?

Eventually, the pastor's phone began ringing and he excused himself to answer it. Elena stared down into her untouched tea, in which she could smell vervain. She wasn't sure if the herb affected a vampire in transition or not, but she wasn't about to find out. When the pastor returned, he explained regretfully that the call was an emergency and that they'd have to postpone their talk until a later time. Not knowing what else to do to stall him, she let him lead her to the door and she said goodbye.

Then she went on a hunt of her own. Damon should be done by now if in fact Stefan was here, and even if he wasn't he should still be done. She ran around to the edge of the house when she heard the front door open, and as she peeked around the corner she watched Pastor Young get in his car and drive away. That made things a lot easier.

She immediately moved towards the cattle barn next to the house, but froze several long yards away from it when a scent hit her nose.

Blood.

And from the smell of it, a lot. Her gums ached at the scent and her mind honed in on the only thing she needed in that moment. However, there was something else she got a strong smell of, and that was vervain. She ran towards the barn, both because of her body craving the blood and to find Damon.

The scent was so overwhelming that she couldn't think of anything else. Suddenly the sun felt too bright, even though it was almost set, and her skin tingled as her veins cried out for the thick red liquid. She no longer found the thought of drinking blood revolting, but rather enticing. No, that wasn't the right word…sure, it was irresistible, but there was no word in the English language to describe just how much she needed that blood.

All thoughts of Damon went out the window when her sight zeroed in on the source. There was a guard lying in his own blood in the aisle of the barn, and fans were blowing vervain all into the room.

"Elena?" Her eyes flickered over to where Stefan was lying on the ground in a cell, barely able to move before focusing back on the large pool of blood.

Then Damon's voice sounded through the small barn, "Elena, listen to me." This time, she was able to hold her gaze on his eyes for a few seconds before the blood became too much of a temptation. She lunged for it, but Damon's shout stopped her, "No!" She ground her teeth together to resist the lure as best she could, and Damon said, "His blood has vervain in it, do not drink it."

Only then was she able to pull together enough logical thought to realize that Damon was slouched against the metal bars of the cell next to Stefan. Her hands were shaking with the sheer restraint she had to use not to lick up every last drop of the mouthwatering substance.

"I need you to get his keys, and get us out of here." Damon said, holding her gaze with his intense blue one.

She slowly knelt down to the dead man's belt as if the blood would jump on her and she wouldn't be able to resist. Transitioning on vervained blood wouldn't do her any favors, and she had to keep telling herself that the entire time. Finally she had the keys in her hand, and she went to Stefan's cell since it was closer. She was careful to avoid stepping in any of the blood, knowing that if it got on her and she couldn't escape the scent it wouldn't end well.

After helping Stefan out into the cooling air, she went to Damon who didn't seem as weak as his brother. It took all of her willpower to resist the tainted blood, but as soon as she had Damon's cell unlocked he picked her up and flashed them outside where he knew she'd be able to breathe better.

She inhaled a deep breath of the less pungent air and suddenly felt weak. Her head began pounding and she felt tired, so tired. Before she could ask either of them what the hell had happened, her knees gave out but Damon's strong arms kept her from falling.

She needed to feed, and Damon just about went into a full blown panic. He should have just driven her to the boarding house before he went to get Stefan! Without sparing a second glance at his brother, he used what little strength he had to flash them over to his car and lay Elena in the back seat. As he climbed in the driver's seat, Stefan got in on the passenger side.

He didn't know what to say to his brother, or even if he should say something. He trusted Elena when she told him that she and Stefan were over, but he also knew that they hadn't had a chance to truly talk everything out, making him wonder if Stefan thought their relationship was still salvageable. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his brother, even if he'd never admit it out loud.

So he opted not to say anything as he sped towards the house. Elena's sleepy voice drifted through the backseat, "Trust me, you'll know. What a load of bull."

Damon chuckled despite the fact that he knew she was dying and reached back to hold her hand, "We're almost back at the house, Elena, then you can feed."

Stefan quickly cut in, "Damon, you can't make that decision for her."

Stefan was really grating his nerves, which prompted him to say, "Why not? You sure had a hell of a lot of fun doing it to me."

That made the car fill with silence, and Damon focused on Elena's thumb rubbing circles against the back of his own. She was all he needed to stay grounded. Stefan eventually said, "That doesn't make it right."

Rolling his eyes, Damon bit out, "Calm down, Saint Stefan, Elena and I talked about this earlier. She wants to feed, but we had to come and save your ass before she got the chance."

Thankfully, they arrived at the house before Stefan could reply. Damon really wasn't interested in listening to him try to talk Elena out of it, and frankly, he didn't want him around when Elena did complete the transition. However, he wasn't going to say anything because then he'd have to listen to his annoying baby brother's voice protest.

Lifting Elena into his arms, Damon quickly carried her inside and laid her down on the couch. He blurred to the basement and grabbed two blood bags, then tossed them in the microwave to defrost. He returned to Elena's side where her eyes were just barely cracked open and he knelt down beside her, ignoring his brother's glare. Green really didn't go with his hero hair.

However, Stefan surprised him by saying, "I'm going to go hunt. Damon, please…make sure she's okay."

In a rare moment of seriousness, Damon met his brother's eyes and nodded once before Stefan disappeared. He returned his gaze to Elena where the only indication she was still there was her small smile. He gave her a look, "Don't even think about telling me to play nice with my brother."

Her smile widened just as the microwave beeped, and Damon quickly retrieved the two bags. One for him, and one for… He wondered what he'd call her now. He'd need to find some new nicknames once she was a vampire, but everything was different now. They were on their way to having a relationship, and god did the monster inside of him want to possess her.

He'd have to think about that one later.

He tore open the latch to the makeshift straw on hers and she seemed to perk up as soon as the smell hit the air. He brought it to her lips, and left his own bag forgotten on the table as he prepared himself for anything she could throw at him.

The red nectar flowed steadily through the clear tube and into her mouth while he waited with an odd mix of fear, excitement, and anticipation. At her first taste, her eyes flew open wide and she dropped the bag as she cried in pain when her fangs pushed through for the first time. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of her just like him. The veins around her eyes crawled quickly beneath her newly glowing olive skin and her eyes shifted to a dark red, even darker than the blood. He loved the sight with everything in him, even if a part of him regretted that she'd never get to live the life she always wanted.

Adapt and move on, right?

He smirked as she eyed the blood in his hand, her full vampire face tempting him in ways that nothing else ever had. As he handed it to her freely, he grabbed his own and sucked it down in only a few large gulps. The vervain was still leaving his system, but this would help him fully recover.

Elena felt better than she had in years. Physically, she felt strong and powerful, no longer like the useless girl she was back when Damon refused to let her leave the house for fear that her fragile human body wouldn't be able to take what life had to throw at her. She could extend her focus to all of her senses and hear things that she never would have heard before. She could hear squirrels nibbling on food in the backyard, she heard Damon's dead heart beating slowly in his chest. She could smell things that were probably hundreds of yards away too, like a dying rose bush out on the patio and centuries of dust built up in this house.

She felt invigorated with new life, even if she was dead, and all she wanted to do in that moment was experience more of it.

Her eyes locked on Damon's when she finished her blood bag, and though she desperately wanted more of it, she felt satisfied enough for now. Enough to stand up and ask, "How do you do—"

She cut herself off when she used her newfound speed to flash across the room. In the blink of an eye, she was standing in the entry to the kitchen and giggling. Damon smirked over his shoulder and blurred in front of her, making her laugh even more. She then flashed into the library, but Damon was hot on her heels. He was having more fun than he would have thought experiencing the raw power she now possessed with her.

The only times she stopped moving were when she wanted to see if Damon caught up to her, and every time when she paused, so did he. They went around the entire house in that same fashion, Elena laughing and giggling while Damon just smiled at her. By the time she was ready to try something else, they were back in the living room. She looked all around the room, searching for something she could lift that would test her new strength. She reached for one of the heavy looking chairs, but as she picked it up she accidentally threw it against the wall and shattered it.

Damon chastised, "Seriously?"

She turned to him guiltily, "Sorry?"

He shook his head at her and couldn't stop the faint smile on his lips, and in the next fraction of a second he was after her. With her new senses, she was able to pick up his movements much faster and she was able to avoid him the first few times, but finally his age proved superior to hers when he pinned her between his body and the wall, her hands held above her head by his own.

She smirked at him, "Kinky."

All he could do was laugh, because this new Elena was certainly more playful. His body called out to hers the same way their monsters sought out each other. Damon knew he had a lot of explaining to do about everything, namely the stuff she didn't know about vampirism, but the pull was too great to ignore in that moment. He pressed his body against hers from knees to chest and dropped his forehead against her own.

Elena was suddenly feeling things she didn't know were possible in a moment like that. She didn't just want him, she needed him or else it felt like she was going to die. She didn't just love him, her body, mind, and soul called out for him with every fiber of her being, begging her to just give in and let him take her. She didn't understand this new side to her, the little voice in her head telling her to give in, that Damon was hers and always would be. Her heart was so swollen with love and lust for the broken man flush against her that she was surprised she hadn't exploded yet.

Then Damon dipped his head to capture her lips in a kiss, and she was a slave to the feelings he invoked inside of her. That other voice telling her that she needed to wait was locked away deep inside of her, arguably never to see the light again, and her lips were moving against Damon's, tasting, feeling, and nibbling.

The second their tongues met, Damon snapped and flashed them across the room and onto the couch. His tongue tangled together with hers, tasting—inhaling—her sweet taste mixed with that of the heavenly blood. Her small hands frantically clawed at his shirt while she locked her thighs around his hips so tightly that if he had been human, she would have crushed him.

She had never felt a desire as powerful as this, and it thrilled her more than anything else ever had. Suddenly Damon's hands all over her, even through her clothes, felt so much closer, like her skin was more sensitive. The slightest touch could put her on edge, ready to fall apart. She was spiraling into the lust fast, too fast, and she didn't know how to stop or if she even wanted to.

Damon broke his mouth away from hers only to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down her jaw and neck. He was as much of a slave to their connection as she was. He knew this was exactly what Elena wanted to avoid when she turned, yet he couldn't summon the willpower to care. Her tight body beneath him was writhing in unsatisfied pleasure, and he'd be damned if he let his girl remain that way.

His? What's with the sudden possessiveness?

Pushing that thought out of his mind for a later time, he brought himself back to the moment. It was only when he felt Elena licking at his pulse point, her fangs bared that he came to his senses and realized what she was going to do. He quickly flung himself across the room, faster than her lust-laden brain could follow, and leaned against the wall. She looked beautiful lying there on the couch, lips swollen, hair mussed, and legs parted to accommodate his hips.

Her dark, glazed over eyes opened in confusion and she immediately glared at him, silently yelling at him. He smirked breathlessly, "I know I'm irresistible and all, but I can't have you marring this perfect neck with your newbie vampire teeth."

He'd tell her all about blood sharing some other time. Though he doubted she wanted to sleep, that's exactly what he wanted to do. She needed some time to think about things and let everything set in before they started her vampire lessons. A fleeting thought crossed his mind of a not so PG teacher-student fantasy. If she wanted kinky…

With Damon all the way across the room, Elena was able to come to her senses as she realized what they had just done. It wasn't like they hadn't kissed before, or even kissed like that before, but to her it was like her first kiss. And it was, as a vampire at least. She never realized that feeling everything so much would translate to such intense sexual desire that it could hardly be contained.

Relaxing into the couch, Elena sighed, "Now what happens?"

"Sleep." Damon answered, still trying to get control of himself.

Elena laughed, "Good one."

"Wasn't a joke."

Elena sat up to stare him down, "I feel like I could run a marathon on one foot, Damon. You can't get me to fall asleep."

He smirked slightly, "Fair enough."

Damon was really starting to annoy her. She just turned into a vampire, and he wants her to go to bed? Nice try. Mentally smirking at what she was about to do, she voiced her thoughts, "Funny thing happened yesterday, Damon. You see, I was walking out of my bathroom when you told me I had cute pj's."

He furrowed his brows in confusion for approximately three seconds before it registered what he was talking about. Expressionlessly, he said, "So you remembered."

"Oh, I remembered all right." She said angrily. "How could you take that away from me? It's not even just the fact that you made me forget the first time you told me you loved me, but it's that you actually compelled me! I trusted you, Damon, not to violate my mind even when you could."

Everything she was saying wasn't anything Damon didn't already know. He compelled her for selfish reasons, even if he promised not to be selfish with her. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he didn't want to deal with the rejection that would surely come so he decided to take the easy way out so she couldn't reject him.

She wasn't sure where all of this anger was coming from, but when Damon didn't even try to defend himself it didn't help ebb the feeling.

"Would it have made a difference?" Damon suddenly asked with a bit more anger in his tone than he intended. "If I hadn't taken that memory away, would it have changed things?"

Elena floundered for a long moment, knowing deep down inside of her that at the time she was completely in love with Stefan and nothing was going to change that. So no, it wouldn't have made a difference, and she cursed Damon for once again finding a way to make her feel guilty when he's in the wrong.

"That's what I thought." He said, walking to his liquor stand and pouring himself a glass of bourbon. After downing the strong liquid, he added, "But that's not the only thing you remembered."

Elena dropped her gaze to the floor, perfectly recalling every single word he said that night before the car crash. She didn't say anything for a while, she just attempted to sort through her thoughts as he continued drinking bourbon like his life depended on it. Finally, when he sat down in the matching chair to the one she broke, she said, "I'm not mad that you compelled that memory away. We didn't even know each other back then."

If anything, all that did was make her more confident in her choice. Even back when Damon couldn't care less if she lived or died, he told her he wanted her to get everything she wanted out of life. He listened to her talk about Matt with his full attention, and made her laugh despite herself.

She met his gaze, "What were you doing on that road that night?"

Damon shrugged, "Like I said, I just got to town."

Her voice small, Elena asked, "Did you hear my parents' car crash?"

He didn't say anything at first, before he sighed, "No. After I met you on that road, I headed to a motel to stay at so neither Zach nor Stefan knew I was in town."

"Why did you say all those things to me?"

Damon watched her closely for a moment, wondering if his answer was really going to matter. He had completely forgotten that by turning she would remember everything she was compelled to forget, so now it looked like he was going to be doing damage control for the unforeseeable future.

Deciding against answering, he stood and started heading towards the stairs, "You can crash here for tonight, but tomorrow we should figure out how to tell everyone that you transitioned. Get Jeremy to invite you into your own home and all that."

"Was it because I look like Katherine?"

Freezing in his place just before the foyer, Damon spun around and realized that his lack of answer led her to assume the worst. It wouldn't have surprised her if the answer to her question was yes, because he was obsessed with the evil vampire slut back then, but, the reason he said that had nothing to do with her.

"No. I told you those things because you needed to hear them. You told me that you were bored and stuck in some small town relationship. I knew it wasn't going to be enough for you just by the look on your face. Within the first few seconds of talking to you I knew you were nothing like Katherine, and while your similarity did play a part in why I stayed, what I said was all based on you."

Elena nodded in understanding then changed the subject, "Can we just go back to my house now? I want to see Jeremy and tell him myself that I decided to turn."

"Yeah, sure." Damon allowed, grabbing his keys. "Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

On the roof of her house, Elena stared into the dark sky as she listened to Damon talking to her brother inside. His reaction to her transition hadn't been great, but she hadn't expected anything less. He had previously expressed his distaste for her becoming a vampire, and though it broke her heart, she wouldn't apologize for not wanting to die.

She didn't want to let Damon talk to Jeremy on his own, but knowing that she could hear every word from anywhere in her house and be there in half a second in case something happened made her agree. She trusted Damon not to hurt him, because he knew that if he did she'd never forgive him. There was too much at stake for him to lose, this time.

She had been tuning in and out of the conversation, wanting to hear all of it but getting distracted by other noises. She was still working on mastering all of her new senses.

She caught Damon growl, "Fine, if you're gonna be so against this then I want you to go up there and look your sister in the eye and tell her that you wish she was dead."

Elena squeezed her eyes shut against the tears threatening to fall and buried her face between her knees. She didn't hear a response from Jeremy, and Damon continued, "That's what I thought. Now listen here you little punk, you're gonna stop giving her such a hard time about this because if she didn't make this decision, you'd have no one. Now go upstairs and apologize for what you said yesterday about there being nothing worse than her becoming a vampire."

Thank god vampires could heal so fast, or else Elena would surely have a headache. She had told Damon he didn't have to talk to him, that it would be better if they just let him get used to the idea on his own, and now she was beginning to wonder if Damon's harsh words were only going to make him resent her more. Maybe it would be better if she just skipped town for a little while…she might not finish high school, but now that she was a vampire what did that really matter?

Human milestones were all trivial now. Having a career wouldn't grant fulfillment when she had nothing to work towards. Education no longer mattered when she was going to live forever and could get anything she wanted by compelling someone. She supposed that she should still try to graduate high school, at least. Caroline was already talking about college, but Elena no longer saw a point in it. Maybe with time she'd be able to handle having to strive for fulfillment, or even find a new way to feel complete.

But at least she had Damon, who was willing to walk to the ends of the earth just to make her smile. There was no way out of vampirism except for death, and while she knew that, she was thankful that she could spend the rest of her existence with people she loves and love her right back. She'd have Caroline too, which wouldn't be so bad, and while she expected to see less of Stefan now that they were over, she had him too. She had doubts that they could ever be good friends again when she was human, but with an eternity ahead of her she hoped that they'd be able to mend their friendship.

When she heard footsteps walking up the stairs, she decided to slip back into her room. However, before she could move a single muscle she heard the front door open and close, and she watched as Jeremy got in his car and sped off into the night. He had lost so many people because of the supernatural, and she couldn't blame him for being upset that the only family he had left was now a vampire. First he lost Vicki because of it, then Anna, then Bonnie, Jenna and John, now her, and she was beginning to wonder just how much more her little brother could take before he broke.

She, unlike him, had two vampire brothers to hold her and protect her when she needed comfort. She had been so absorbed in herself lately that she never stopped to ask him if he was doing okay. Everything in life seemed to revolve around her, but she promised herself that that would stop. Yes, she was the doppelganger and when she was human, everything was by default about her because Klaus wanted her. But now, things were different. Her blood was useless to him, just like Katherine's, so he'd have no use for her anymore. If he wanted someone to blame for her death, then that would fall on Alaric, who was already dead.

The only thing about her was adjusting to her new life now. She made another promise to herself to ask all of her friends how they were doing too. She still needed to have a talk with Stefan just to clear everything between them and find closure. That part of her life was over, and she knew that without a doubt. She just didn't love him the way she used to anymore.

She also realized that she had no idea how Caroline was doing. She hadn't even spoken to the girl she called her best friend since before Klaus was 'killed.' Klaus was in Tyler's body, and while she must be relieved that everyone is still alive, the man that she loves is in some kind of dead state while her worst enemy who's also slightly obsessed with her is in his body. There was no way she was doing okay, yet Elena had once again been so absorbed in her own problems that she didn't stop to think about the people she fought so hard to protect.

Bonnie was someone else she needed to talk to. They really hadn't been on the best of terms ever since they found out about vampires, but with time they were slowly reconciling and learning how to deal with everything. Now, Elena was the very thing that Bonnie hated the most, and Elena wondered if she should even bother hoping that they could still be friends. Bonnie had very reluctantly opened up to the idea of Caroline being a vampire, but now Elena was too? She hoped that her best friend could find someone to trust again, maybe even her brother now that the ghosts were gone. They had a long way to go, but if it meant Bonnie had someone to rely on without ever worrying about getting hurt, then Elena was all for it.

Then Elena's thoughts drifted to Matt. The only one out of all of them that had clean hands, and stayed true to who he was. He was one of the few humans left in this mess, and because of that Elena hadn't thought twice about dismissing his problems until later. She never asked him how he was doing after Vicki almost came back to life and he got to talk to her. They were once so close, but now she couldn't even say what his plans were for after high school.

Damon practically materialized out of nowhere next to her on the roof, but she didn't jump at all. She had been expecting him. Out of all the people she wronged, she considered everything she put him through to be the worst. All he ever did was love her, and time and time again she threw it in his face and used it to her advantage without even meaning to. He put his feelings on the back burner when Stefan left to take care of her, to comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, even though it killed him.

She wondered how in the hell he could still claim to love her when all she ever did was hurt him.

"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" He asked softly after a few minutes, keeping his gaze focused ahead on the subtle light forming low in the sky.

Elena sighed, "I've been such a terrible friend lately." His mouth open to argue, she shook her head, "Don't defend me like I know you want to. It's true. I've been so worried about all of my problems that I don't even know what's going on in my friends' lives…"

Damon closed his mouth and resisted telling her that all of her friends understood. While he could agree that she had been less attentive than she probably would have liked, she didn't seem to be understanding that the reason behind that was that her life was in danger. She was constantly sleeping with one eye open, if at all, worrying about if someone was going to kidnap her from her bed in the middle of the night.

To hell with what any of her friends thought when her life was on the line. He didn't give a shit what they had to say, unless it hurt Elena. The girl cares so damn much about the people around her, and while it's one of the reasons he fell in love with her, it's not a very convenient trait.

His talk with her brother obviously hadn't worked like he'd wanted it to. He just about wrung the little shit's neck for what he said about her. Elena didn't deserve to be exiled just because she chose to live when life threw her a curveball. Damon didn't think he'd ever be fully okay with the choice she made that night to throw herself in front of him, but he'd make sure that he taught her how to enjoy being a vampire even if it killed him. He'd answer all of her questions, teach her control and how to do all of the cool little vampire tricks, and he'd take her hunting to show her what not to do when feeding from someone she wants to live.

Eventually he put his hand on her knee and said, "Well, the perks of being a vampire are that you have an eternity to apologize."

She looked down at her lap for a few moments, trying to find her words, before she looked to him, "Then I might as well start now, right?" He frowned slightly at her and she continued, "I'm sorry for everything I put you through ever since we met. I've said terrible things to you, done terrible things. I've thrown my relationship with Stefan in your face when I knew you had feelings for me, I've told you that your love for me is a problem, and I've expected the worst from you when I knew how hard you were fighting for me." Recalling the words he used that night he compelled his love confession away, she continued, "If anyone doesn't deserve someone, it's me."

Damon bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from instantly arguing, because he wasn't going to lie to her and sugar coat things. He looked down at the dark gray shingles between them for a moment before saying, "I can admit that you're not a saint, Elena. No one is. But you try to do good. You have too much compassion in that dead little heart of yours to ever not care about others. You've made mistakes, and I won't deny that, but we all have. Don't be too hard on yourself for the little things."

"But they're not little, Damon," she disputed. "I just don't understand how you can sit here with me without hating me. I've been messing up as far as you go ever since we met. That's been over a year. A year of loving me without any reward for it."

"I don't need a reward for that, Elena. Do you get rewarded for loving Jeremy? Or what about Bonnie? We were friends, and as long as you were in my life that was enough for me. I never asked for you to love me back; you were in love with my brother and I could wait as long as it took."

She furrowed her brows slightly, "How did you know that waiting was worth it? That Stefan and I weren't going to work?"

He smirked, "I've known that since our little impromptu trip to Georgia. While you would always be enough for Stefan, he wasn't going to be enough for you one day. One day, you'd stop grieving your parents' deaths and start living again, and that day would be when Stefan couldn't keep up. You were going to grow into yourself, become your own person, and flourish, and Stefan would just hold you back. You had too much personality in you for him to handle. I meant what I said when we first met, that in a relationship, you want passion, adventure, and a little danger. I just didn't know how right I was at the time."

"But Stefan and I had that." She stated, forgetting for the moment that she was talking to the absolute last person she wanted to think she was having reservations about her breakup with Stefan.

Damon blew out a laugh, "Did you though? Really think about it, Elena. Was your relationship passionate? When you two fought, did you scream at each other until you were blue in the face? When you were happy, were so deliriously ecstatic that you were bursting at the seams?"

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that her and Stefan never really fought. And while he did make her happy, it was the kind of happy that's just that; happy. She smiled more, and the loss of her parents didn't feel so harsh anymore, but that was it. Stefan healed her parents' deaths, but before they could get past that he left with Klaus, and everything changed.

Taking her silence as confirmation of his accusations, Damon continued, "And adventure. Well, that one speaks for itself. If Stefan could keep you locked up in one place the rest of your life, he would, and you know that."

"But there was danger to him." Elena pointed out. "He was a vampire."

Damon snorted, "Not that kind of danger, Elena. Physical danger isn't something you want. You want the kind of danger that comes with never knowing what's going to happen next. Predictability is quite possibly the number one relationship killer."

And that's exactly what Stefan was. Predictable. Maybe Damon was right. While Stefan was enough for her all this time, how much longer would it take for her to get bored? She was quite confident in the answer being when she turned into a vampire. She was sure there was another time when she would have gotten bored, but now that vampirism was thrust onto her shoulders she didn't want Stefan to be the one to help her through it. Not only did he have no semblance of control to teach her, but she was different now. She finally accepted that their relationship had been damaged beyond repair, and with that acceptance the door to what she felt for Damon was pushed wide open.

She didn't mean for it to happen, with Stefan's brother of all people, but Damon…was inevitable. She had been teetering between friendship and love with him for months, and she was sick of it. If she was going to be in a relationship with anyone after she got all of this figured out, it was him.

Elena dropped her head onto his shoulder in the gentle calmness of dawn. Damon threaded their fingers together, her right hand in his left, and she decided that was enough of a talk for now. She had a lot to figure out, and hopefully at the end of it all her and Damon would have their shot. She loved him, more than she loved anyone before him. Everything he had been describing about passion, adventure, and danger perfectly described their relationship, even before it became romantic. He was everything she needed in life; of that she was sure. They were going to be together one day, the only question now was when.

Damon reached into his pocket to grab the small object and he untwined his fingers from hers, holding her hand out still. He showed her the sparkling piece of jewelry and said, "Bonnie made this for you before you turned, just in case she couldn't find another way." He slid it onto her right ring finger and rubbed his thumb over her knuckle beneath it, as if the thought of not touching her was unbearable.

The silver ring was very simple, with the same blue stone as Stefan and Damon's rings held in place by four prongs. Elena automatically grabbed Damon's left hand where he wore the ring on his middle finger, and she held up her hand to compare the two.

"Pretty good match, if I do say so myself." Damon quipped, leaning his cheek against the top of her head that was still pressed against his shoulder.

"Perfect match." Elena practically whispered, but Damon heard it loud and clear. He smiled to himself, and they sat in each others arms as they watched the sun rise.

The dark blue, almost black sky slowly faded into a lighter blue, and then as soon as the sun peaked over the horizon, brilliant streaks of pink and oranges marbled across the sky. The few clouds shined bright like a light bulb, glowing under the sun's punishing rays.

Damon snuck a glance at the girl in his arms. Her permanently tanned skin glowed beneath the soft light, and her glassy eyes shone with the promise of a new future.

She didn't know what was going to happen next, but with Damon by her side, she was ready for it.

* * *

"Damon, don't take this the wrong way, but I think I want to try the animal diet." Elena said from her seat on the couch in the boarding house as Damon came up the stairs with two bags of blood.

After their talk early this morning, Elena had insisted on going back to the boarding house where she could get a few hours of sleep without worrying about her brother coming back. She crashed in Damon's bed until she stirred awake around noon, hungry.

Damon sighed, "Of course you do. Let me guess, it's because you're afraid of becoming a ripper, right?"

She shrugged, "That, and I'd rather not have to hurt anyone just to survive."

Biting his lower lip to physically keep in every argument he's spewed to her over the years about Stefan's diet, he managed, "If you were a ripper, we'd already know. The second you got a taste for blood, you would have fled to look for the nearest human. So you can stop worrying about that."

Elena sighed, "This is what I meant. I know you're not an advocate for it, but I just want to try it, okay? It doesn't mean that I don't want you to help me with this, because I do, I just want to be sure that I'm not hurting people if I don't have to."

Damon again bit back his next argument that feeding from a human doesn't have to hurt them if the vampire doesn't want it to. Quite the opposite, in fact, a vampire bite can have a rather…erotic, effect. She wouldn't understand that now though. Stefan never would have fed from her during sex, and the only times she's been bitten by a vampire have been violently. Just the thought of getting to show her how it feels had his pants getting uncomfortably tight.

Sighing, Damon said, "Alright, fine. Try it if you want, but I hope you know that I'm not going to be helping you with it."

"I know. I was going to ask Stefan." She said. "It will give me a chance to talk to him while doing something to get a hold on this vampire thing."

Damon walked into the kitchen to heat up the blood, and Elena followed. He tossed one into the fridge for later and threw the other one in the microwave for two minutes. Then he moved to stand right in front of her and said, "I know you said that I shouldn't worry about you and Stefan, but you're making it really hard when you tell me that you want to talk to him and you're going into the woods alone with him."

She sighed softly, knowing that Damon was always going to be insecure about Stefan. Not only was he her first love, but he was the golden child that always got everything Damon wanted. "Look, I…" She trailed off, trying to find her wording. How could she possibly explain to him what Stefan meant to her without hurting him? "I was in love with Stefan for a long time, that isn't going to change. But now, I just don't feel the same about him. I know that it makes you nervous to hear that I'm going to be spending time alone with him, but I promise you, you have nothing to worry about, okay?"

"Yeah…" He said softly, letting his mask slip just long enough to get that word out. Somehow, Elena was the only one that got him to let his guard down. "You better hurry and find my brother before he drains Bambi and leaves you behind to starve." He smirked, though Elena could see the battle warring behind his eyes.

"We're gonna be okay, Damon." She smiled tightly, then followed her ears upstairs to Stefan's room where she could hear him writing something on paper. She hadn't seen him yet since she turned, and she hoped that he wouldn't look at her differently. She was still the same. She still felt the same. She was just a vampire now, and she needed to learn all of the ins and outs of it.

She raised her hand to the doorknob, but before she could even touch it she realized that things had changed, and she couldn't just walk right in like she used to. It felt so strange having to knock on his door; so unnatural. Guilt gripped tightly at her heart for the pain she caused him by rejecting him. She wished it didn't have to be like this, that she never had to choose. She loved Stefan, she did, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but he just wasn't what she needed anymore.

"Elena, come in." She heard him chuckle softly through the door, and she smiled to herself at the ridiculousness of it all.

She pushed open the door and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, but this is just kind of weird. I guess I'm still just trying to get used to all of these new feelings and emotions."

He looked at her sadly, "I see that you did complete the transition…" The way he said it made her wonder if he was happy about that or not. "I never wanted this life for you, Elena, but since it happened, I have to admit I'm glad that you chose to live. Having you as a vampire is better than not at all."

"Thank you." She said sincerely. Having his support in her decision would make things a whole lot easier. "I want to start off by saying how sorry I am for everything I did that hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you, even when you hurt me."

He nodded sympathetically, "Likewise." He stood up from his desk and moved to stand a few feet away from her, "So where does that leave us? I know when you were human, the last I heard you were on your way to Damon…"

She sucked in an unnecessary breath and said, "Yeah, I was. I couldn't just leave him to die alone, Stefan, not when I care about him so much. I care about you too, though, and being a vampire hasn't changed that. I'll always love you, but…"

"You're not in love with me anymore." He finished, sadness brimming in the eyes that once made Elena feel like the most special person on earth. Now whenever she looked into them, all she could see was the empty, cruel man that tortured her friends, didn't care about their lives, and nearly killed her, on more than one occasion.

All she could do was nod and fight the tears. Shaking off the feeling, she changed the subject, "So I actually did come up here for a reason besides wanting to talk. I want to try feeding on animals instead of humans."

He looked genuinely surprised by her confession, which made her frown. It shouldn't have been that surprising that she didn't want to hurt people…

"Damon's allowing that?"

She furrowed her brows, "Damon doesn't have to 'allow' me to do anything…"

Quickly backtracking, Stefan amended, "I didn't mean it like that, I just thought that he was going to be teaching you all about this…"

"He is." She confirmed. "But some things I'd rather learn from you. Damon can be…well, Damon, and while he refused to teach me to hunt animals, I can still make my own decisions."

"Of course."

She looked down to the floor for a moment, then raised her gaze, "So you up for another hunt so soon?"

He smiled, this time in that way just like he used to that her feel all warm. However, this time when she saw the expression, none of those feelings bubbled up inside of her. She just felt nothing, and as confusing as it was, it told her that she made the right decision in choosing Damon.

"I think I can do that. Are you ready to go now?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm feeling kind of hungry so now would be perfect. It would also probably be better if when I went to face the world again, I wasn't starving and irritable because of it."

Chuckling, he motioned towards the balcony, "Let's go then."

She watched curiously as he walked out into the morning and jumped down with ease, landing lightly on his feet. If he was human, the jump definitely would have hurt him. "Can I do that?" Elena asked, only half serious.

Stefan grinned, "Just jump, your body will do the rest on its own."

She climbed to the railing and stood on it, looking down. She'd never been a fan of heights, but knowing that she couldn't die or even get hurt made it a whole lot more comforting. She stepped off the edge and squealed as she fell, landing on her feet just like Stefan had.

Her giggles could be heard all throughout the property, but they weren't quite as loud as the sound of glass shattering as Damon threw one of his crystal tumblers into the fireplace.


	5. Chapter 5

So a little warning, this story is going to have more graphic smut than my last one. If that's not your thing, then you can skim over those parts :) This chapter is sort of the start of that, but it's definitely going to get more graphic in future chapters.

* * *

Elena and Stefan walked through the woods, keeping a respectful foot or two of space between them. To Elena, it was obvious that they were over.

However, Stefan truly believed that Damon would screw up some way and he'd get Elena back. He was willing to wait as long as it took, because they had an eternity, after all. Sooner or later his brother would do something reckless, hurt someone that Elena cared about, and she would decide that he wasn't worth it. All he had to do was be on his best behavior. He would get Elena back one day, once everything between them was put in the past where it belonged.

Sure, he had a lot of apologizing to do for everything that Klaus made him do, but all they had was time.

Elena reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear just as she always did, and Stefan noticed the glittering ring on her finger. Of course he knew that Damon had gotten her a daylight ring via Bonnie, but he hadn't realized that the ring would be a blast from the past for him.

"That's my mother's ring…" He said without thinking, reaching for her hand.

Elena reluctantly allowed him to touch her, knowing he was just looking at the ring. She hadn't had any clue that the ring was his mother's…

"I haven't seen it since before she died…" He mused.

Damon must have had it all these years, and Elena wondered what his mother was like. From what she's already heard, his father hated him. She hoped that his mother was someone closer to him, that loved him. That was probably why he had her ring all these years, but she was even more touched that he gave it to her.

Stefan continued, "The main stone used to be an emerald, so Damon must have had it replaced so it could be your daylight ring…"

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Elena said, "I had no idea it was your mother's…"

He easily brushed her off, "It's not a problem, really. I'm glad you have it. I was just surprised to see it, that's all." He let go of her hand and she brought it back to her side. Stefan then stopped walking and changed the subject, "So hunting animals isn't the easiest thing to do because they run and you can't compel them, but with our speed and stealth it's not much of a problem. All you have to do is listen for noise, and then we chase it down to see what it is. I typically like to stick to deer because they're bigger and more resilient, but smaller animals will do in a pinch."

She nodded and as they fell into silence, she opened her ears to the world around her. There were so many sounds that she could pick up, some she didn't even recognize because she couldn't see the source. She listened for the sound of leaves crunching, or animals breathing, or hearts beating, and eventually she picked up all three coming from one direction.

When she opened her eyes, Stefan was already looking in that direction. He disappeared in the next moment, and left Elena to rely on figuring out her own stealth by herself. It wasn't too hard to get the hang of, and she resisted giggling when she used her super speed to approach the animal. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to that.

She stopped behind a tree once she was only fifty yards away, and she spotted Stefan nearby. So quietly that the deer wouldn't hear, he whispered, "Wrap your arms around its neck to hold it in place, then use your senses to locate the vein in the side of its neck. You can only take a pint or two before the deer gets disoriented, so don't drink too much."

Elena gave him a slight nod before blurring over and holding the surprised deer in place with her new strength. She could hear the blood pumping through its blood vessels, and finding the source of the loudest, biggest vein she bared her teeth and sank them into its neck. She immediately gagged on the disgusting fur tickling her mouth and scratching her throat, and to be honest, the blood wasn't much better.

It tasted like drinking cheap two dollar scotch after tasting the two thousand dollar kind that's been aged for thirty years. She reluctantly choked it down, but she didn't have any problem stopping. The deer ran away as soon as she released it, and Stefan emerged explaining how the deer would heal quickly and that she did a great job.

She'd never tasted something more awful before in her life, and she couldn't concentrate on anything he was saying when her stomach was rolling, rejecting the blood. It didn't satisfy her in the slightest, and suddenly she understood what Stefan said when he told her animal blood dulled the senses. She didn't feel as powerful, as on top of the world, and it was horrible. If she was damned to this life, then she was sure as hell going to do everything she could to live it to the fullest.

Eventually, the feeling became too much and she bent over behind a tree to empty her stomach. When all of the foreign blood was gone, she shook her head at Stefan who was gently rubbing her back and holding her hair, "That was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted in my life."

He gave her a strained smile, "It's not for everyone. You okay?"

She straightened up and politely brushed off his touch, nodding, "Yeah, fine. I think I'm just going to stick to human blood though…that was awful, no offense."

He smiled genuinely this time, "I know, trust me. If you don't have to drink it, I don't recommend it."

"Thank you for helping me though." She told him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I really appreciate you being here to help me through this."

"I'll always be there for you, Elena. I still love you, and I want you to know that whatever you need, you can come to me no matter what." He said confidently.

She didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. Instead she smiled at him before they began walking back towards the house.

* * *

"Sure thing, Sheriff, thanks for letting me know." Damon said through gritted teeth as he watched Liz leave the Grill.

Apparently after he, Stefan, and Elena got the hell away from the pastor's farm, the psychopath decided to barbecue the entire council in his house. While it got rid of a huge threat posed to the vampires, it also raised quite a few questions regarding why the hell a pastor would ignite a gas leak and kill twelve people, himself included.

Hey, at least he didn't have to worry about his ass getting staked by a vampire bloodthirsty human cult anymore.

He ordered another round of bourbon from the pretty bartender and swirled the remaining contents in his glass around in circles. He couldn't be at the house anymore, not with Elena and his brother lurking around doing god knows what, driving his insecurities up the wall.

He trusted Elena, he did, when she said that she and Stefan were over. He trusted her more than anyone he knew. The problem was his brother. He wasn't going to accept defeat so easily, and Damon knew that better than anyone. As someone that constantly got everything he wanted, Stefan wasn't going to give Elena up without a fight. He wasn't going to just accept that she chose Damon, or that he screwed up one too many times and she was done with him. He would do whatever he had to to weasel his way back into her heart, and Damon didn't think his heart could take it if that day arrived.

After being filled with the hope that he dared to have in the first place, he wouldn't survive it being thrown back in his face.

He quickly downed the remnants of his glass as the bartender set down his next and took the old glass away, telling him that if he needed anything stronger to forget that he should give her a call. Stefan would just love that, if he screwed up and pissed Elena off, because of course he could then swoop in and save the day, looking like the hero once again despite every awful thing he did over the past few months.

Damon was fucking sick of his brother coming out on top when he did things twice as bad as what Damon's done, and he did them with no regrets. While maybe it was Damon's fault that Stefan left with Klaus in the first place, he didn't make Stefan do any of the other awful things he did to Elena.

And the worst part? It seemed like she completely forgot about it all. Like she didn't remember when he almost drove her off the bridge where her parents died. Like it slipped her mind that Stefan nearly killed her, drained her dry, and if it weren't for Klaus then he would have. And let's not forget the copious amounts of sex he had with the sorority girls that he invited over while sans humanity.

He was responsible for his own actions, and he should be held so. He didn't get to use the excuse that his humanity was off and he didn't care, or that Klaus made him do it. He was conscious of his own actions, and that was enough for Damon to blame him.

Stefan wasn't a saint any more than Damon was. Maybe it's time Damon stopped viewing him as such.

There was a time not too long ago when he thought his little brother deserved everything he had. Just the fact that he tried to be a good person meant something, especially when all Damon did was show people the worst in him. Stefan lived for meeting expectations, while Damon would sooner die than be something he's not. Stefan would always be his baby brother and he'd always have his back, but Damon didn't respect him as much as he once had anymore, and nothing was going to change that.

If his brother tried to win Elena back after she already chose him, then that would just go to show how little respect he has for Damon. It seemed that every time the occasion arose, Damon thought the world of his brother while all Stefan could do was treat him like a monster.

And maybe he was.

Maybe everything he did, everyone he killed, everyone he hurt, all of it, made him a monster. But at least he never pretended to be someone he wasn't. Why should he keep loving and respecting someone that thinks of him as nothing more than an annoyance? A problem that needs to be dealt with. All his brother could seem to say about him was that he wished he'd leave town to protect everyone in it. Well newsflash, if anyone needed to leave town to protect the people in it, it was Stefan. He was the ripper running around chewing people's heads off and threatening everyone that cared about him.

In fact, Damon had a hard time recalling a time when he could say he was the better brother. He was by no means good, but at least he gave up feeding on people.

For Elena.

He prayed to a god that didn't exist that Stefan wouldn't hurt her again.

Grinding his teeth together, he threw back the entire glass of bourbon in one go and relished in the burn it left behind. He wished he had Ric here with him at the bar, and he glanced to the untouched glass of bourbon next to him sadly. He hated to admit it, but Ric would know exactly what to say to make him feel better. He'd do it in a way that didn't once make him feel emotionally exposed, but it would undoubtedly work. Maybe he'd say something like, 'quit being a moron, Damon, Elena's a big girl.'

She could make her own decisions, of that he had no doubt, but if history said anything, it was that she doesn't always make the best choices. Stefan didn't deserve her anymore, of that Damon had no doubt. Neither of them did, and he wasn't blind to that either.

But god help him, he didn't care. He wanted her, and as long as she felt the same way he was going to do everything in his power to get her.

Speak of the devil…

He smirked to himself as he smelled her scent filter into the building. Her light footsteps stormed over to him in a flurry of rage she didn't yet know how to control, and he wondered what small thing set her off this time. She climbed into the seat next to him and he chided, "That seat's taken."

She frowned before spotting the filled glass, and understanding dawned on her. She moved to the empty seat on the other side of him and asked, "Did you have something to do with Pastor Young?"

He rolled his eyes, "Am I wearing my 'I blew up the council' t-shirt today or something?"

"Did you?" Elena countered.

He looked at her incredulously, "Yes, Elena, somewhere between helping you transition into a vampire and making sure you didn't completely lose it, I managed to sneak away from you to go back over to the cattle ranch to visit the man that nearly killed everyone we know, broke a gas line to start filling his house, and then lit a match, threw it down the chimney, and boom!"

She gave him a disapproving look then sighed, "Sorry. Caroline just called and said that the entire council's dead and nobody knows why the pastor would blow them up. Klaus is back in his own body now too, but apparently the witches weren't at all happy with Bonnie for it and they did something to the spirit of her grandmother in front of her. Caroline was trying to comfort her, but she wanted to be alone."

"What, no wolf-boy and Barbie reunion?" He smirked.

Elena blew out a soft laugh, "I left out that detail to save you the mental picture Caroline painted me. Tyler's fine though, but nobody knows what Klaus's next move is going to be."

"What does he think of you turning?" Damon asked, fearing the answer.

"My guess would be he's not thrilled." She deadpanned. "Now it's pretty much just a waiting game to see what he's going to do."

Sensing her exhaustion, Damon reached for Ric's glass and placed it in front of her, "I think you need this more than him."

She smiled a little, "Won't he be mad I stole his drink?"

Damon shrugged, "He's a few drinks in already, he won't miss it."

Elena took a drink of the strong alcohol and noted how it seemed to dull the hunger, just as she had been told. After rejecting the animal blood, she had opted for the blood bag Damon put in the fridge. Even bagged and reheated from frozen, it tasted ten thousand times better than the animal stuff.

Reading her mind, Damon asked, "So does Bambi have another hungry vampire to look out for?"

She chuckled at his joke, "No, you were right. It was the worst thing I'd ever tasted and I couldn't even keep it down."

"Did Elena Gilbert just admit that I was right?" Damon mock gasped. "Someone alert the media, hell has frozen over."

She giggled loudly and the sound was better than any song he'd ever heard. He loved making her laugh, seeing her smile, watching her be happy for once in her life.

"So are you ready to do it my way?" He asked with a smile.

"Promise we won't hurt anyone?" She asked.

He smirked, thinking once again how little she knew about vampire bites. Suddenly, he got an idea that would both push how far her boundaries were willing to go while proving that she wasn't going to hurt anyone. He stood up and held out his hand for her, "Come on, I want to show you something."

With unflinching trust, she slid her hand into his warm, rough one and let him lead her through the restaurant towards the bathrooms. They went into the men's room since there was no one in there and he locked the door behind them. He pressed her up against the wall and looked into her surprised and confused eyes, "You're so worried about hurting someone, that your bite is going to cause them pain. Elena, that's because you've only ever been bitten violently. When you're bitten for reasons other than inflicting pain, it's different."

"What do you mean different?" She furrowed her brows, her body already reacting to his closeness. She felt like there was less air in the room, and she had to remind herself that doing something with Damon wasn't as wrong as it used to be. She was single. He was single. And they were both on the same page.

He smirked, moving his face so close to hers that one more centimeter and their noses would touch. He brought one hand up to her hair, brushing it all over her right shoulder to expose the left side of her neck. Then he pressed his index finger right above her gently throbbing vein and huskily said, "Right here. You don't know how many times I wanted to kiss you, throw you into bed, and sink my teeth into your neck until you passed out from how good it felt."

She swallowed thickly, her gaze unconsciously dropping to his lips. She couldn't seem to look at anything else either, when all she could think was how much his words affected her now that she was a vampire. The lust was so intense, and hearing him say he wanted to bite her appealed to some dark part of herself that wanted that more than anything. And judging by the dark, hot look he was giving her, she even felt like if she were human she'd still want that.

Finding the strength to raise her eyes to his, her knees nearly gave out at the strangely erotic scene in front of her. His fangs were lengthened, peeking out from behind his pink lips. The whites of his eyes were tinged dark red, contrasting sharply to the blue of his irises. Those gray veins were crawling all around his eyes, extending over his cheekbones and temples. The vampire in her felt completely and undeniably at his mercy.

Unwillingly, she felt her own fangs drop down and the tickle beneath her eyes that she's come to associate with the veins. Damon growled a sound more animal than human before covering her mouth with his, dominating her through the kiss. She melted into his touch, obeying his every silent command by opening her mouth for his tongue and pressing her body into his. He pressed his knee against the wall between her legs to keep her in place as he broke away from her lips and left hot, wet, open-mouthed kisses across her chin, cheek, and jaw. Her hands instinctively moved to his shoulders, and her undead heart fluttered when she felt him licking and kissing at the vein his finger had been pressed against just moments before.

He whispered against her skin, "Relax, and enjoy…"

First she felt his fangs pressing against her delicate skin, not yet breaking the surface yet somehow igniting every nerve ending in her body. She desperately wanted him to bite her, and she had no idea why.

But the second his teeth pierced her skin, she instantly knew she was right to feel that way. The deep, slow pulls he took from her vein felt unlike any human pleasure she ever knew. It was indescribable, yet so insanely good that she felt like her brain had melted and was incapable of processing any thoughts.

She unconsciously brought her hands up to his hair, pressing him closer to her neck while knotting her fingers in the dark locks. Between his sensual lips locking onto the wound, his wet tongue massaging her tender flesh, and the overwhelming scent of him surrounding her she was sure he would be her undoing.

Suddenly he pressed her body more firmly into the wall with his, their legs interlocking as their bodies touched from knees to chests. Immediately Elena's focus was drawn to the hardness in his pants rubbing against her lower stomach, and she moaned loudly at the sensation. She tipped her head even further to the side to expose more space for him, and he took full advantage by piercing her skin even deeper to drink more.

"Damon," she panted, dropping one hand from his hair to wrap around his waist and hold him closer against her.

That was what did it for him. That hot, breathy little whisper of his name. He pulled away from her neck with a groan, swirling the last gulp of her heavenly blood around in his mouth, letting it coat every crevice before sliding down his throat. Her wound healed instantly, though the emotional marks it left ran deep.

Elena looked up at him through hooded eyes, watching as he licked every drop of her blood from his lips. Her mind was completely fried. She couldn't have told you what her own name was even if she wanted to. The only thing she could focus on was Damon, and how badly her body craved him.

It was like all of the attraction she felt for him and suppressed suddenly resurfaced, and amplified tenfold. It was unreal, and she wanted nothing more than to let him take her to bed.

Damon, having his brain only slightly more on earth, looked down at her and breathed, "That is what a vampire bite can feel like."

What he wouldn't give to only drink her blood for the rest of his undead life. It tasted like everything he never knew he needed and more. The way he could taste her emotions swirling around, the lust, the passion, the desire, the love…it was all better than he ever could have imagined.

And that look on her face, the one where the only thing he could see swimming in her dark eyes was pure unadulterated lust, that would be his undoing.

Her needy hands quickly pulled him back to her, lowering his lips for a kiss so hot and hungry that it rivaled all of the sex he had with any women in his entire existence. Yeah, he had no doubt that Elena was his soulmate. She pulled him closer against her feverish body, rubbing her hips against his obvious arousal like a cat in heat and it took Damon every ounce of his self control to pull away from the kiss.

Annoyed, she huffed adorably, "Damon, please."

He couldn't tell you how many times he wanted to hear her say those words like this, but it was just the lust talking, and he knew that better than anyone. Lust has gotten him into a whole hell of a lot of trouble over the years, but the difference with Elena was that it actually mattered. It would break him if she ever regretted him.

He took her face in his hands and leaned his forehead against hers, stroking her soft cheeks with his thumbs. He loved her too much to take advantage of her. "Nice try, you little minx."

He took four steps back from her, making sure he put enough distance between them so they couldn't touch even if their arms reached out. The space definitely helped Elena come to her senses, and she leaned back against the wall again and closed her eyes to catch her breath.

"Why was it like that?" She asked breathily.

Damon smirked, "Like I said, vampire bites can feel better than you can ever imagine or like the worst pain you've ever felt."

"And it felt like that to all the humans you were with?"

He shrugged, "It's not quite as intense on a human, and definitely not as intense if there's no feelings shared." As an afterthought Damon added, "Just don't tell Stefan about this." But then he smirked when he realized he was done playing the nice guy around his brother when he didn't deserve it. "Actually, on second thought, tell him."

She frowned, "Why?"

He bit his lower lip for a moment as he searched for the right words, then settled on, "Because blood sharing is kind of…personal. I'm sure you can figure out just how personal, especially between two vampires where we don't rely on the feed to survive."

She nodded, in complete understanding, "No, I got that." Then a question struck her, "What happens when you drink vampire blood?"

Thankful for the topic change, Damon answered, "It'll tide you over for a while, but it's not going to keep you from desiccating. Vampire blood is like a delicacy, it goes down smooth like the finest alcohol and it's the easiest to drink."

"Like animal blood was horrible and human blood is amazing?"

Damon nodded, smirking, "Just wait until you get a taste for vampire blood. It's like nothing else."

Knowing better than to even voice her thoughts about wanting to drink his blood, she instead asked, "So when I bite a human, that's what it will feel like to them, just less intense?"

"If you want it to, then yes, it pretty much happens unconsciously." Damon nodded. "But what they don't tell you in the vampire handbook is that typically the only times vampires bite their victims like that is during sex."

She furrowed her brows, "That doesn't make any sense, why couldn't I just find a guy and bite him when I know I don't want to hurt him?"

"Because vampires live for the kill." Damon told her conspiratorially. "There is no feeling quite like that of the hunt. We are predators, Elena, down to our souls. Stalking our prey, seeing the adrenaline pumping, smelling their fear; it's almost as good as the feed."

She grimaced at his description, unable to imagine that ever appealing to her. While she had a lot of newfound desires within her that often scared her, she couldn't ever see herself reveling in the kill like Damon did.

He smirked, seeing her dejected expression, "You'll see. I plan on taking you hunting sometime soon anyway. What better way to learn control?"

"No, Damon, I'm not feeding on people if you think I'm going to hurt them." She instantly argued.

He chuckled, "You, Elena, of all people, are not going to hurt anyone. You'll probably want to, but you won't. You're too compassionate to ever let this control you, that I can promise you."

Smiling quickly at his words, she agreed, "Okay, fine. We can go hunting at some point, on one condition. We leave Mystic Falls so nobody here will recognize me."

His eyes brimming with excitement, he grinned, "I smell a road trip. Where should we go this time? New York? D.C.? Or maybe you weren't quite finished in Georgia…"

She laughed, "I don't care where, Damon, as long as we're not gone too long and nobody will know me there."

"I'll keep that in mind." He smirked. "But for now, maybe we should go back out there so the people you do know don't get the wrong idea."

Elena cringed through a giggle, "They probably have already assumed the worst, Damon. I think it's safe to say we're too late."

"Then let's face the music."


	6. Chapter 6

Here's another chapter :)

* * *

"Elena, are you sure about this?" Bonnie asked nervously from her seat across from Elena in the Grill. They had already finished their plate of chili cheese fries, which Elena was extremely thankful still tasted amazing. After eating that awful sandwich during transition, she wasn't sure that human food would ever taste the same again.

Sighing, Elena shook her head, "I'm not sure about any of this, Bon, but I know I'd rather learn how to control myself now rather than when it's too late, don't you think?"

"But Damon?" She questioned. "Is he really the best person to teach you? What about Caroline or Stefan?"

Elena resisted rolling her eyes at both suggestions. "Caroline has been a pro at control since day one, and Stefan…after everything that's happened, I really don't think I want to learn from someone that spent his whole summer tearing people apart and putting their bodies back together."

She grimaced slightly and nodded, "Right, sorry. I get it. Look, I know I haven't ever been accepting of vampires, but I wouldn't have made you that ring if I didn't trust you. If you think that Damon is the best option, then I believe you."

"I do." Elena told her best friend, but Bonnie had a feeling she was talking about more than just learning how to feed. It was going to take some getting used to on her part that her two best friends were now vampires, but she trusted them both to be responsible and not hurt anyone.

"So where's Damon taking you to do this?"

Elena blew out a laugh, "He was thinking Whitmore college. He was quite amused with the prospect of taking me to visit colleges like any normal person my age."

Bonnie smiled, "Caroline's been talking about Whitmore. I think it's where we're all going to go."

Elena agreed, "It's close to home, which is nice with our families, and it's not hard to get into."

"We'll just have to make a good impression on everyone there when we go that way in the fall we'll already have some friends." Bonnie said playfully.

"We? You're going?" Elena asked, surprised.

She shrugged, "There's a professor there that says he has some of my Grams' stuff from when she taught there and I was looking for a good chance to pick it up."

Grinning, Elena said, "I predict a super fun college party in our future. Think Caroline will be jealous?"

Bonnie giggled, then said a bit more seriously, "Actually, I think Caroline and Tyler have been fighting. She called me in a flurry earlier rushing out some nonsense, but I think I got the gist. By now, I speak Caroline like it's second nature." Elena chuckled and she continued, "Apparently when Tyler was in the Appalachia's, he met some girl there, and they had a thing I guess. Or at least that's what Caroline suspected. So she's been dealing with that on top of Klaus living at Tyler's house, and you know how he's obsessed with her. He was feeding her lies about them to break them up, but this is Caroline, so it's likely she was exaggerating."

"We need to have a girl's night soon." Elena huffed dejectedly. "I feel like I hardly know what's going on in your lives anymore."

Bonnie shrugged sympathetically, "You had a lot going on, Elena, we don't blame you."

"But it doesn't make it untrue." She said sadly. "I'm sorry."

Her friend smiled kindly through her big brown eyes, "It's okay, Elena, really. We'll always be your best friends no matter what."

She smiled, thinking that she really didn't deserve two amazing besties like the two she had. Knowing that she now had their support, she realized that the only person left to make peace with her being a vampire was Jeremy. Well, she had yet to actually talk to Caroline, but she wasn't expecting any explosions or anything like that. Caroline should understand; after all, she didn't have a choice in becoming a vampire either.

Elena smirked, "So do you want to break the news to Damon that we'll have a guest or should I?"

* * *

Now it was Elena's turn to ask Bonnie, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Bonnie smiled a little as they stepped out of the Camaro, "If I could spell you out of wanting blood, I would, but I can't, so better you learn this now than at freshman orientation."

Looking around the beautiful campus crawling with students, Elena said, "Assuming college is still in my future."

Coming up behind them, Damon resisted rolling his eyes, "Oh, stop with the pity party. If I can go to college you can go to college."

Bonnie raised an unimpressed brow, "You? Went to college?"

"Sure." Damon brushed her off. "Plenty of times." He recalled the days in the eighties and nineties that he spent crawling around college campuses, having his fun with sorority girls and parties. He'd even gone to classes every once in a while, but that wasn't the part he remembered. He met Bree at college, before he killed her, that is. Recalling the look on Elena's face that he caught when she kissed him, he smirked and threw in, "Always had a thing for sorority girls."

Elena rolled her eyes and Bonnie told him, "You're disgusting."

Flaring his eyes, Damon mock whispered, "I know!"

The two girls turned on their heels and began walking together, while Damon hung back. If the witch wanted to come with them, then she was going to have to get used to him. Even now as he looked around, he couldn't wait to have his fangs buried in the neck of any of the girls he watched, maybe even that hot blonde they just walked past. His eyes shamelessly scanned her body, thinking that she'd be easy to seduce, and sweet on his tongue.

What would be even better would be to have Elena joining him in the feed. And to think it was actually going to happen tonight. He was going to teach her how to enjoy the blood just enough that it didn't make her go crazy like his brother. Just imagining the sight of her fangs glistening with blood, the thick, red liquid dripping down her chin while she smiled had him itching to make it a reality.

The three of them made their way to the class that one Professor Atticus Shane was teaching. He was the man that supposedly had some of Bonnie's grandmother's belongings, and it turned out that he taught a course on the supernatural. Bonnie insisted on sitting in just to see what it was all about, though Damon and Elena hadn't been as thrilled with the idea. Somehow, listening to a stranger lecture two vampires about the supernatural just seemed…too ironic.

So they sat in the darkened classroom, barely able to keep their attention focused long enough to catch one sentence while Bonnie listened attentively. The professor was a younger man, with dark, curly hair, who seemed to know a lot more about the supernatural than could be considered average.

He lectured, "When I say witch, what pops into your head? Halloween costume? Villain of a fairytale? Maybe an ex-girlfriend." There were some light laughs, and Damon rolled his eyes. "Well whatever image it is, it's probably not Danielle Sozo from…"

Elena tuned him out and looked to Bonnie, "Is that him?"

"Yeah." She whispered back.

"He's kind of…"

"Hot?" Bonnie grinned.

Elena stifled a laugh while Damon looked between them. How could they think professor creepy was hot? He was certainly nothing compared to Damon himself, and though it pained him to admit it, even his brother was better looking. Hell, maybe even Donovan!

Professor Shane continued, "Now, in reality—or in this reality at least—witches appeared across every culture in history. They're the architects of the supernatural. Responsible for everything that goes bump in the night." Elena shared a look with Bonnie, silently asking just how much this guy knew about witches. All Bonnie could do was shrug. "From ghosts, to vampires, to doppelgangers…"

Okay, now this was getting weird, Elena thought. Damon leaned over and whispered, "What is this guy, witch-ipedia?"

She laughed softly while Bonnie shushed them. The professor continued, "Now if you're a skeptic you'd call that a coincidence. But if you're a true believer…well, you know there really is no such thing."

While he continued rambling on about the supernatural, Elena couldn't help but think about what would happen tonight when Damon taught her to feed. It was pretty much the only thing on her mind as of lately, especially considering she'd never fed from a human before. She'd only ever had blood bags, and that made her all the more nervous. What if she lost control and Damon couldn't stop her? What if she hurt someone, or worse, killed someone?

She knew Damon had already addressed her fears about being a ripper by telling her that if she was, they'd know, but she still wasn't convinced they'd know until she actually fed from a human.

Leaning over, she voiced her thoughts to Damon in a whisper, "What if I'm a ripper?"

He gave her an exasperated look, "You're not a ripper."

"But what if I am?" She pressed.

Damon knew with certainty that she wasn't, and just the fact that she was worrying about it was enough to make him crazy. "Well then pick someone and we'll find out." He said, resisting smirking at her.

She gave him a hard look and he raised his brows as if telling her to do it. She averted her gaze and looked around the room, but as hard as she tried she couldn't stop thinking about what he said. Is that how it worked? You just picked whoever you wanted to feed from? No guidelines or anything?

Settling her gaze on a guy sitting near the front, twirling his pen around his fingers in boredom, Elena thought he reminded her a little of Matt. Though his gaze was less focused, and he probably wasn't as sweet as her first boyfriend. The more she looked at him, the more it struck her that his gaze was unfocused for a reason other than a boring lecture.

Damon leaned in and said, "Stoner guys are no good to grab. They're too paranoid and you don't want the extra buzz." Elena tried to be appalled at the way he spoke about them like a buffet, but with the thrumming sound of heartbeats all around her, it was getting harder and harder to ignore her growing hunger. Damon motioned to a girl studiously taking notes a couple seats away from him and continued, "Now she is fun-sized, but too alert. Geeky girls are inherently suspicious of anyone who's nice to them. What you want," he threw an arm around her shoulders and pointed to a pretty girl distractedly texting on her phone. His mouth practically brushing against her ear as he spoke, he finished, "Is the little blonde. Pretty girl. Self-absorbed. Easily flattered. You just have to separate her from the pack and make your move."

Nodding, Elena couldn't stop watching the girl. If she tried hard enough, she could pick apart her heartbeat from all the others, and it called to her like a light to a moth.

"Am I interrupting you guys?" Damon and Elena suddenly turned facing forwards again, seeing Professor Shane looking at them. Damon quickly moved his arm, returning it to his side while Elena resituated in her seat. "Or is it maybe the other way around."

Feeling her cheeks burn, Elena spoke up, "Sorry."

Damon smirked, "I was just saying how much I love witches."

Professor Shane stared at him, unmoving for a few seconds before muttering, "You and me both, brother." Because that wasn't creepy at all, Damon thought. There was something about this guy that rubbed him the wrong way. "Alright listen we should probably talk about the reading…" He went on, louder for everyone to hear.

Damon and Elena shared a look, Elena's much guiltier than Damon's, though she still smiled at him.

The class ended a few minutes later with a new reading assignment for those actually enrolled. The lights came back on and everybody began shuffling out of the doors, but Elena still couldn't keep her eyes off of the blonde girl Damon showed her. Bonnie told them she was going to stick behind to talk to Professor Shane, and Damon was all too happy to get rid of her company.

He could see the hungry look on Elena's face, how badly she wanted to drink that girl's blood. It was probably better the witch wasn't around for it anyway. They followed the girl outside, watching as she texted the entire time, scarcely even looking up.

"She's young and healthy, she'll heal up like a charm, just keep your eye on the ball." Damon instructed.

Keep her eye on the ball? Elena shook her head, "It's not a game, Damon."

"Fine, it's not a game. It's a high-stakes dangerous maneuver. Now go, just like we practiced."

Thinking of everything Damon told her while in the car driving here, Elena jogged to catch up with the girl. "Hey, you're in my anthro class, right?"

She furrowed her brows a little but cheerfully said, "Uh, yeah! I guess so."

Making up a lie, Elena said, "I, uh, totally spaced and I forgot to get the reading list. Do you have it?"

"Sure, uh, let me check." She said, typing away on her phone.

Seeing her opportunity, Elena reached out and grabbed the girl's wrist, earning her attention. She compelled, "This isn't gonna hurt. Please don't scream."

Damon leisurely looked around to make sure nobody was watching them too closely, but two girls talking to each other wasn't the most suspicious thing in the world. Elena was doing really well so far, and he had high hopes. When he didn't hear her talking or doing anything, he looked over to see her gaze focused on the girl's phone.

Elena noticed the picture of the girl and a much younger girl next to her. "Who's that?" She asked.

Damon cursed her for getting distracted, but sat back and listened. At this point, there was nothing he could do the change what was about to happen. Elena was too caring for her own good.

"That's my little sister."

God, Damon shouldn't even be surprised. Leave it to Elena to let her compassion out do her hunger. The only vampire in history to put a stranger before their bloodlust.

Elena swallowed thickly then compelled her, "Get out of here. Go back to class."

She looked around confused before turning and walking away. Damon rolled his eyes and stormed over to Elena, "The hell are you doing?"

She sighed, "I just…I saw the picture, and I—"

"Everybody is someone's uncle or father or camp counselor or bible study teacher Elena, you don't know these people! Why do you care?"

"I care because I'm still me! I still have the same feelings, Damon." Elena told him. While becoming a vampire changed a lot of things, she wasn't going to let it change who she was. She was still the same person, who felt all of the same things, everything was just a bit more amplified.

And Damon knew that, but if he didn't push her into this, then she was never going to survive as a vampire. If she hated what she was, she'd be miserable, no matter what. That's what he had to work on. He had to help her learn to enjoy everything there was about vampirism, or else she'd lose herself.

Just as Damon was coming up with a reply, Bonnie showed up. "What's going on?"

Unable to bite back the sarcasm, Damon said, "Nothing. Elena's educating me on the importance of feelings."

Ignoring him, Elena asked Bonnie, "Did you talk to the professor?"

She smiled, "Yeah, he has my Grams' stuff in his office so he's gonna give it to me. Oh, and I found this."

She held up a poster with scripted bloody letters spelling out 'Murder House: come as your favorite victim or killer.'

A party.

Damon's eyes lit up, "Oh, nice, you answered all of our problems. A frat party. Douche. Central." He rubbed his hands together and smirked, "Which is why, you'll be eating very well tonight." Bonnie looked at him disgusted while Elena held back an eye roll. "So what should we go as?" Settling his gaze on Bonnie, "Victims, or killers?"

"Damon." Elena chided, raising a hand to his bicep.

He rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll decide. Why don't you two hang around campus, meet people, have some fun, play some Frisbee, kick a hacky sack, and I'll go find our costumes."

Sharing a look with Bonnie, Elena silently asked for a minute alone with him and she understood immediately. "I'm gonna go check out the courtyard."

When she was out of earshot, Elena wrapped her arms around Damon's waist and asked, "Can't you at least pretend to like her?"

"Maybe if the Wicked Witch of the West decided to hang up her broom and become Glinda the Good Witch for a day or two." He quipped, an arm around her shoulders.

Elena knew that they were never going to best friends, or even friends, but if they could at least tolerate each other without throwing insults through the air, that was enough for her. Come to think of it, Elena had been so worried about becoming a vampire that she never considered what people would think of her and Damon.

Actually, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that nobody really knew what was going on between her and the Salvatore brothers. They all probably thought that she was still with Stefan, but what would they do when they found out she was working on her relationship with Damon?

That thought made her drop her arms from around his waist and change the subject, "So you're going to find our costumes?"

"I'll be back before you know it." Damon winked, earning a smile.

He disappeared in the next second and Elena made her way back over to Bonnie. She was talking to another girl by a large fountain, thankfully distracted from watching her and Damon. Elena couldn't imagine a scenario in which Bonnie would be okay with her and Damon dating…

Luckily she was able to distract herself for the rest of the afternoon. The two girls walked around campus and familiarized themselves with where all of the buildings were, since they were going to be going there in the fall. While Elena felt like college was pointless now that she was a vampire, being there was really helping her get into the spirit of things. They even video chatted Caroline and talked for a good hour about college, enthusing about everything from boys to their dorm room. It really helped to get her excited for college.

When Damon showed up later that evening with three costumes in hand, neither girl questioned just how he obtained them. Especially with how elaborate the vintage outfits were.

By the time they finished getting ready, it was already dark out. It wasn't hard to find the frat house either, what with the giant sign saying 'Murder House' and the deafening music blaring from every direction. The front doors were swung wide open to let people come and go as they liked, and all of the lights were off aside from the flashing blue and red party lights. People were strewn across the lawn, dressed in all sorts of costumes dripping in fake blood and gore, which made their plans for tonight all the more appropriate.

Just in time for Halloween.

Damon walked with Elena on one arm and Bonnie on the other, leading them up to the front door. Getting invited in was going to be tricky, but that would be the hardest part. They stepped onto the porch and a guy approached them, wearing glow stick necklaces and bracelets and holding cups of alcohol.

"Hey, I'm Frankie. I'm assuming serial killer…" He smiled, looking at Damon.

"I'm Jack, and these are the two lovely ladies I just…rippered." He said, taking the plastic cup of alcohol from the guy as he handed it to him. Elena took another, but Bonnie declined.

Frankie said, "Welcome to the Murder House. Come on in, Bloody Mary's free until midnight. Enjoy yourselves."

Damon smirked at how easy getting an invite was, then tipped off his hat, "Hat's off to these idiots." Glancing around the house as they walked inside, Damon spotted none other than Professor Shane standing at the half landing of stairs, "Oh look, it's Professor Creepy."

Bonnie immediately defended him, "His name is Professor Shane, and he's not creepy." The smile he was shooting them said otherwise, but Damon kept his mouth shut. "I'm gonna go talk to him."

"You do that." Damon said, thankful to get Elena all to himself. That was the whole point of them coming, after all. Elena linked her arm back through his as they began walking through the various rooms all filled with college students. "Inebriated sleaze balls all covered in blood. Come on, pick one."

There were so many options, so many temptations, Damon was excited to find his own victim for the time being before moving on to the next, but first he had to help Elena.

She looked around the room at every person, seeing a guy with a fake knife through his head and another girl in all white carrying a fake sword. All of the fake blood, while it didn't smell as tantalizing as it looked, it thrilled a dark part of her that craved the gore.

Her eyes then settled on a guy just as he dropped something into the drink of the girl he was talking to when she wasn't looking. She said, "I think I found one."

"Roofie guy?"

She nodded, "Mhm."

"Nice choice. Go get him."

Hearing Damon's approval, she made her way over towards him. 'Accidentally' bumping her shoulder into his, she apologized, "I'm sorry." Then, putting on her best seductive look, she looked up at him through her lashes, "Drink?"

With no hesitation, he grinned, "Sure."

She walked past him, sending him a sultry smile with no doubt that he would follow. She found an empty room that was hardly bigger than a closet, but she suspected was an office of some sort. Sipping her drink she waited the few seconds it took him to show up.

She set down her drink and he asked, "Great party, right?"

Grinning from the excitement she felt at the chase, she agreed, "Yeah." He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed against his chest a little too hard and slammed him up against the wall. He didn't look fazed at all as she compelled, "You're not gonna make a sound."

Was this what hunting always felt like? It satisfied her hunger in a way she never knew, making her all the more desperate to taste her victim's blood. His heart was beating loudly in his chest and she could smell the small amount of fear emanating from him. She didn't know how she knew it was fear, but the second she released her fangs it was so overwhelmingly obvious that he was afraid.

Without any reluctance, she sank her teeth into his neck where the pull of blood was the strongest. The sweet liquid hit her tongue and slid down her throat, feeding her body and replenishing all of her senses. It tasted so much better than from a bag, and the pure desire she felt for it was unrivaled by anything else she'd ever felt.

"Now remember, the idea is not to kill him." Damon's voice came from behind her, and while she heard it and knew he was right, she made no move to show she heard him. She continued feeding, drinking greedily and hungrily gulp after gulp as her body convinced her to take more. It was intoxicating, everything from the way she lured him away from the crowd to tearing her teeth into his flesh. "Elena." Damon said again when she still didn't stop. "Step away from the ledge." He continued, ready to pull her off of him. "Elena!" He whispered a bit angrily.

Finally, she threw her head back away from his neck, blood coating her lips, chin, and dripping down her neck and chest. She gasped for air as the euphoria of the feed filled her senses, igniting feelings inside of her that felt too good to question or even care about. She felt as light as a feather, like she was walking on air, and she knew in that moment that she was never going to go back to animal blood.

Any care she had about being a ripper vanished, and she found that it was actually quite easy to control herself when the promise of other bodies was so abundant. She looked into the guy's eyes and said, "Leave, and forget about this." As her vampire features went away, so did his memory of what she had done. She didn't even have to worry about healing him either, because they were in a Murder House.

She smiled to herself as he walked out, and Damon complimented, "Nice touch. How do you feel?"

Wiping the blood on the back of her hand, she grinned, "I feel good!" Damon looked just as excited as her, with his eyebrows raised and his eyes sparkling with happiness. She threw her arms around him in a hug and giggled, the feeling too good to keep to just herself. His arms wrapped around her waist and as her inner demon called to her, the sound of the party outside came drifting back to her. Lifting her head from the crook of his neck, she brushed her lips against his ear and whispered, "I want more."

Damon's eyes opened as the phrase awakened the darkest parts of him. This was the Elena that she had to learn to embrace if she wanted to survive. The girl in his arms was no longer sweet and innocent, but she had tasted blood at its finest and she was hungry for more. That feeling that he could see shining in her eyes, that ecstasy and elation was like a high. It wouldn't last long, but they had hundreds of willing bodies around them and the rest of the night to revel in every last drop.

His demon roared to the surface, hungry both for blood and for this new part of Elena. God, he loved her so much. Seeing her like this was like his wildest dream come true. Now, they could bask in the rapture of the hunt, feed, and kill together, losing themselves to each other, and if that wasn't the hottest thought he'd ever had, then he wasn't Damon Salvatore.

Minutes passed of the same routine, and once Elena had successfully fed from two other people, he sent her off on her own to enjoy the party while he indulged in his own desires. They fed from everyone they could get their hands on, the hunger never quite satisfied completely. Male, female, freshmen, seniors, drunk, sober, victims, killers, everyone was an option, and nobody was safe. Their costumes had lost some of the accessories as their inhibitions lowered and the temperature got higher. Damon abandoned his jacket, cane, and hat on a chair and unbuttoned his collar so a good portion of his chest was exposed. Elena left her light cardigan strewn across a table, leaving her just in the tight corset dress, fishnet stockings, and stiletto boots.

Elena was high on blood like it was the best drug in the world, and her brain no longer processed any thoughts. There was no more thinking, only doing. If she wanted something, she did it. She wanted that girl's blood, so she grabbed her by the wrist while dancing to the music and compelled her not to scream, then greedily bit her neck and drank until she couldn't remember her own name beyond the blood.

She had never felt anything like it before, anything so thrilling, invigorating, and euphoric. It was more amazing than anything she'd ever felt before, and there was only one thing that could make it better. Intent on getting just that, she bounced around the dance floor to the beat and scanned her eyes through the crowd for Damon. She found him fangs deep in some girl, pressed up against the wall.

The sight made her pause as an unwanted feeling rocketed through her. She could smell the girl's arousal clear as day, and it made her fangs drop against her will in rage. She blurred over to them, not caring if anyone saw(they were probably too drunk to notice anyways), and nestled herself against Damon's side to press her mouth against the other side of the girl's neck. She was too pretty for Elena's liking, and she wanted her hands off of Damon approximately ten years ago.

Damon was surprised to see her feeding from the same girl, but something about it just made the action all the more intimate. He was barely keeping it together as it was, watching her go around like she was on top of the world for a change. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted her before, but she was going to have to be the one that made a move. He knew that she wasn't in her right mind right now with the blood clouding her thoughts, and he wouldn't take advantage of her, but he wouldn't object either.

Suddenly he heard the girl's heart flutter from weakness, and he pulled away. Elena did as well, surprising him, but one look at the murderous expression on her face towards the girl had him rethinking his costume choice in making her a victim. There was more real blood coating her chin, neck, and chest than fake, and Damon figured the same went for him as well. He hadn't exactly been trying to be neat when it didn't matter in the slightest.

Before Elena could do something she'd regret, he compelled the girl to forget what had happened and she walked away. Wiggling his brows at her, Damon took Elena's hand in his and pulled her towards the dance floor. Her mood was quickly recovered when she smiled at the sight of him dancing. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her against his hard body and they began rubbing against each other to the beat.

Through hooded eyes, Elena swiped her finger over his chin, collecting some of the blood and bringing it to her lips. Her eyes fell shut as she licked every last drop off, and when she looked back at Damon the lustful look he was sending her nearly made her snap. Once again not thinking of anything but her desires, she gathered some of the blood that had dripped between her breasts, Damon's eyes following every movement. Then, she brought her index and middle fingers to his lips, gasping as he sucked them into his mouth and swirled his tongue around them.

If she wasn't turned on to the point of pain before, she was now. And Damon knew it. He could smell it, and it had his pants beyond uncomfortably tight. He pulled her even closer against him so she could feel just how turned on he was, and he nearly lost it all in his pants when she moaned at the feeling and sensually rubbed against his hardness.

He blurred them across the room and shoved her against the wall, picking her up by her ass so her legs wrapped around his waist. His mouth attacked hers like he was trying to drink blood from the most enticing human he'd ever met, and she met him nip for nip, thrust for thrust, and passion for passion. He ground his arousal against her hot center and she whimpered, throwing her head back into the wall.

Never before had being with someone like this felt so…arousing. It was unlike any other sexual experience she'd had, not that she'd had much, but it was nearly impossible to stop. All she wanted was to strip him naked, cover him in blood, and lick up every, last, drop until he was begging her to touch him.

It was sinful; it was erotic; it was fucking beautiful.

Unable to control herself, her fangs dropped and she buried them in Damon's neck. He tensed against her briefly before pressing into her even harder. For Elena, Damon's blood was better than all of the human blood she just drank combined. It tasted sweet and tangy, but best of all, it tasted like him. If she thought that human blood was good, she had no idea what she was missing. Vampire blood hadn't tasted like this when she was human, but now that she wasn't, she wished it had. She would have drank Damon's blood willingly every single time he forced it on her had she known this is what it could be like.

For Damon, having his sweet Elena bite him in the throes of passion was it. It was never going to get any better than feeling her fangs in his neck, pulling the blood from him and making it nearly impossible to think about anything other than the love and lust he felt for her. Without thinking, he lowered his head to her pulse point and bit into her vein just as she had to him.

Had he thought that tonight would end in blood sharing between them? Hell no. But was he going to complain when everything he ever wanted was in his arms and more than willing? Hell no.

However, what he hadn't been expecting was his bite to be Elena's literal undoing. She cried out into his neck as her body shook and tensed from her orgasm. Damon had never seen a more perfect sight in his life. He held her tightly to keep her elevated as she fell apart in the darkened corner of a room filled with people. Her screams were muffled against his neck, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to fight off his release either if she kept lapping at the blood dripping from his wound.

He had her back in the room where she had first lured the roofie guy faster than she could blink with the door closed behind them and he panted, "If you don't stop then I can promise I'm going to need a change of pants."

Barely hanging on to reality by a thread from the human blood, blood sharing, and orgasm, Elena didn't even have the energy to try to control herself. She was unbuttoning his pants and pulling the zipper down while he set her on her feet. She dropped to her knees without thinking twice, and grasped his long, thick erection in her small hand. It wasn't like she hadn't seen it before, though it hadn't been hard so she hadn't seen just how big he was. She pumped her hand up and down his length and wrapped her lips around his tip.

Like it was even possible to stop her at this point, Damon gripped her hair as he found his own release, thrusting into her mouth as he spilled down her throat. He fell back against the wall as Elena swallowed it all up, then she stood and tucked him back into his pants. Damon pulled her in for a kiss, but kept it much slower than their previous ones. This time, he made sure to show her just how much he loved her.

"Did that really just happen?" Elena whispered when they separated.

Damon nodded, "Yes." She swallowed thickly. Forcing himself not to jump to conclusions at her tone, he asked, "How do you feel about that?"

"I feel like that was definitely too soon, but…I can't seem to care. It felt good."

"Yeah?"

She grinned, "Yeah."

He smiled and nodded towards the door, "What do you say, one more feed and we get out of here?"

Now that she was much more in her own mind, she returned his smile, "Sounds perfect."

They walked back out into the party only to be stopped dead in their tracks by a glaring Bonnie. Her arms crossed, she was standing in front of the door looking angry as all hell. Looks like that last feed was going to take a rain check.

Not knowing how much she knew of what just happened but also not really caring, Damon smirked, "Bring around the broom, witchy, it's time to bounce."

Without waiting for a response, he began walking towards the door with the two girls following him. The cool night air was like a breath of common sense as he realized what they had done in there. But Elena had liked it. She hadn't regretted it like he'd feared for a few seconds.

Elena cowered under the judgmental stare of her best friend, and she cursed herself for not filling her in on the nature of her romantic life prior to tonight. She had no idea that feeding could be so…drugging. Had she had an idea that something like that could happen, she would have warned Bonnie that she and Damon were becoming a thing. She wasn't quite sure what yet, but tonight only solidified her feelings. Damon was the only man for her, and she doubted anyone else would ever come anywhere close to him.

She used any scrap of fabric that wasn't bloodstained, which wasn't much, to wipe the blood from her chin and neck. Normally she wouldn't care, but she felt like she had to hide it for Bonnie's sake, even though she had known what was going to happen tonight.

Then Elena realized something. While she cared what Bonnie thought of her, she also wasn't going to apologize for becoming a vampire. Did she want this? No, but she sure as hell wasn't going to mope around about it when there was nothing that could be done to change it. She reminded herself of the mantra that's been going through her head since turning.

If they don't like her decision to live, then they don't love her as much as she thought.

Bonnie's voice stopped her, "I knew this was a bad idea, Elena. You shouldn't have listened to Damon. He makes everything he wants sound like a good idea."

At his defense, Elena argued, "This wasn't his fault, Bonnie, it was my decision too."

"Only because he took advantage of the fact that your emotions are heightened and you can't control the bloodlust yet! What is Stefan going to think about this?"

Now was as good a time as ever, Elena thought bitterly. She hadn't wanted everything come out like this, on the lawn of a frat house at one in the morning while covered in blood and with Damon a few feet away, but she had to play the cards she was dealt.

"Stefan and I are over. We have been since before I turned. With everything going on, I hadn't had the chance to tell people yet."

"I figured as much." Bonnie said. She had noticed the way that Stefan hadn't been hanging around as much. "But that doesn't make it okay to let Damon drag you out here, get you high on blood, and push things too far."

"Damon didn't do any of this, I still have a mind for myself." Elena ground out. She got that nobody liked Damon, but she did, and he treated her the way she deserved to be treated. She loved him, and while she maybe wasn't ready to admit that to his face, she had admitted it to herself.

"Do you?" Bonnie asked cynically. "Because you sure don't seem to be using it." Moving to stand right in front of Damon, Bonnie continued, "You were supposed to be helping her, and you let her get completely out of control."

Damon rolled his eyes, "She wasn't out of control, she was having fun."

"She was acting like a different person!"

"She is a different person!" Damon hit back, annoyed at the way everyone has been treating her. "She's a vampire! We're a predatory species, we enjoy the hunt, the feed, and the kill, and when the guilt gets too bad, we switch off our humanity, and we revel in it."

He moved his gaze over Bonnie's shoulder to look at Elena, noting that she looked thankful that he was saying something. She didn't deserve to have to take the heat of her judgmental friend, not when none of this was her choice.

Bonnie, her glare cold and steely, asked, "Is that what you want? For her to be like you?"

Damon scoffed, "She already is like me." His anger steadily creeping up knowing how little she thinks of him after all this time, he continued, "And you know makes me able to drink my fill, and leave someone breathing and not rip their head off like my brother, is that I can revel in it. I can make it fun."

If her friends were going to understand her transition, then they had to understand that he wasn't going to treat her like the porcelain doll his brother would. If it were Stefan here right now, he wouldn't have let Elena feed off of more than one or two people before ditching. He wouldn't be able to control himself, and when Elena realized that she wanted more, he would have given her some bullshit answer about how feeding from people is wrong.

Well newsflash, either you feed or die, and the sooner she learned to have fun with it, the better. They didn't hurt anyone tonight, they didn't reveal themselves, all that happened was they had some fun, and he wasn't going to let Bonnie judge them for that. She couldn't keep acting like Elena was the same girl she used to be. Even Elena knew that she was different now, and she accepted it. It was why she agreed to come with him tonight.

Bonnie storming away, Elena was left standing in shock with Damon awkwardly a few feet in front of her. She closed her eyes and fought back the tears, taking a few breaths.

"Elena…" Damon tried, knowing that while tonight they took things too far, he wouldn't change a thing.

She shook her head and gently said, "Not now, Damon. I just—I…"

Damon smelled the saltiness of her tears as soon as the first one fell. Needing to make her feel better, Damon moved in front of her and pulled her in against his chest. She never started sobbing, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and sniffled into his neck.

It struck him then and there that her friends were never going to be okay with them together. While he didn't care about them, she did, and if they didn't approve then she wasn't going to be happy. He debated on what he could do to change their opinions. What he could say, how he could prove that he would be good for her. He couldn't believe that he was actually going to try and make her friends like him, but he'd do anything for her. He'd walk to the ends of the earth just to hear her heartbeat through a telephone.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Elena, I should have had better control knowing—"

"No, Damon, don't you dare apologize for anything." She said, pulling back to look at him. "You were right, we were having fun, and Bonnie needs to understand that I'll never be that same human girl again. You didn't do anything wrong. I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be easy. When have we ever been easy? I know what the risks are, but I think you're worth them. You make me happy, and right now, that's all that matters to me."

He couldn't stop himself from dropping a chaste kiss on her lips. Then he felt her smile into the kiss, her hands fiddling with the button on his shirt at the base of his sternum. When he pulled away, he said, "Time to get back to reality?"

She smiled softly, "Unfortunately. Sometimes I wish that I could just pick up everything and leave for a few weeks."

"Only sometimes?" Damon teased as they walked back to his car.

She giggled, "Okay, all the time."

"Now that, I believe."


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter we get into some light plot :) Thank you for all of the reviews, I'm glad you're liking this story!

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Elena was confused, to say the least. Confused, disheartened even, and alone. As the days passed, she felt more and more alone. Not physically, because there were always people around her, but emotionally, she felt like there was nobody she could talk to. Nobody she could voice her innermost thoughts to in hopes for some unbiased advice. And that was why she found herself lingering around the graveyard.

Jeremy wouldn't talk to her. Bonnie was pissed about the party at Whitmore. Stefan was her ex now, and that just wouldn't feel right. Matt did the best he could, but talking about vampirism and boys with him was uncomfortable all around. Caroline, while her best option, wasn't Damon's biggest fan. And Damon…well, there are just some things that Elena couldn't talk to him about, namely those solely about him.

What he had said that night after the party played through her mind on repeat. Everything he said had been spot on, connecting with every emotion she was feeling about being a vampire now.

She was a different person now—the only part that was the same was her personality—and the longer she pretended that she didn't enjoy drinking blood, the more miserable she would be. Denying her true nature was what Stefan had done. He had pretended to be human, striving for what he could never have and putting on the façade that he could still have it. Elena was having a reality check, and she couldn't understand how he could live like that. While it was what her humanity wanted, the monster inside her would fight tooth and nail against it until she gave in. She wouldn't live her life teetering on that line. If she accepted it, then she could control it.

And maybe she had been having fun that night. Hell, she hadn't had that much fun in years. Her behavior appalled her humanity, but it thrilled her inner demon. She could see where Bonnie was coming from, how she could be afraid that Elena was becoming like Damon. He didn't have the best track record, after all, but what Bonnie didn't understand—couldn't—was that Elena was still in control. If she hadn't wanted to feed off of all those people, then she wouldn't have. If she hadn't wanted to kiss Damon, she wouldn't have. Maybe the blood had been swaying her decisions, but wasn't that the same as alcohol? Surely a few tequila shots back when she was human would have her acting the same way, fulfilling whatever desire popped into her head.

Damon wasn't to blame. He wasn't the one that got her drunk on blood. While he didn't exactly stop her, she could have, had she wanted to. After all, she didn't have a problem leaving even after she had her heart set on that one last feed Damon promised. And no, she wasn't an addict trying to talk herself into the idea that she didn't have a problem. She didn't need a twelve step program, she was perfectly aware of what happened.

Maybe she could admit that she didn't want to be like Damon. He was no saint, not even an angel in disguise. He killed without remorse and fed for sport. While she wasn't planning on making a habit out of feeding from people, she had to admit that it was a good experience to have. It showed her that she wasn't a ripper. That she could control herself, if she let her problems slip away and enjoyed the whole experience.

Just because she didn't want to be like him didn't mean that that changed anything between them. She was still in love with him. Hell, she had been for longer than she cared to admit. She knew who he was, what he did, and that he wouldn't change for anybody. That's why she loved him. He was so sure of who he was, so confident, and so comfortable in his own skin. He embraced the fact that he was a vampire and it showed. She wanted to be like that part of him. She wanted to learn to enjoy it while still staying true to who she was. That meant no killing, and no hurting people, and that's exactly what Damon had given her.

Bonnie had no right to judge whatever way she chose to live her life when nobody was getting harmed in the process. It hurt to know that she was slowly losing her best friend over this, but at the same time, if this was what killed their friendship, then maybe Bonnie didn't love her enough to get past her being a vampire. Elena didn't know what else she could do to repair their relationship, and frankly, she was done trying if Bonnie wasn't going to give her a fair chance.

That meant getting along with Damon too, because he was as much a part of her life as anyone else was.

Yesterday had been the funeral for the pastor and the other council members. Elena had attended with everyone else, though it wasn't without its bouts of tension. April Young, the pastor's daughter, came to town to talk about her father, and all the while she spoke Elena had been thwarting off Bonnie's glares at Damon. Stefan had chosen the seat to Elena's left, while Damon had been to her right, and when she had teared up from the memories of lost loved ones the funeral dredged up, she hadn't hesitated to intertwine her fingers with Damon's as tension rolled off of Stefan in waves. She certainly didn't expect him to get over her in an instant, but something about the vibes coming from him made her wonder if maybe she hadn't been clear enough when she ended things.

Jeremy hadn't bothered to show up, which wasn't all that much of a surprise. She barely talked herself into going. But Matt had been there, Caroline and Tyler too, and it seemed like the two lovers had solved any problems between them. Over all, the service had gone smoothly, which was surprising, given that it was Mystic Falls.

Funny, Elena had always thought that nothing bad ever happened in their sleepy little town, so for nothing bad to actually happen, it was a miracle.

Tomorrow was the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. It seemed like ages ago that Elena had been competing in it. Unsurprisingly, the first memory about it that struck her was dancing with Damon. That was the first time she felt it. Their connection manifesting into real feelings and emotions. She felt how undeniably sexy he was, and with that realization came the question if it was purely physical or if there was something more.

Caroline was in full planning mode, since as last year's winner, she was in charge of it. That, and she loved being in charge of things despite the aneurism it gives her. April Young had actually asked Jeremy to be her date, and Elena thought it was great that he agreed. Ever since he and Bonnie split up, she'd been hoping that he could find another girl to be with that deserved him.

Starting with the last person she buried, Elena stood at the grave they placed for Alaric, the dirt still exposed from when somebody, Damon probably, had buried his body after he killed her and thereby himself. She hadn't thought to pick up any flowers on her way over; it had been pretty last minute. Instead she just smiled sadly, whispering that she missed him and hoped he had found peace.

Jenna and John were next, and while John still held an odd part of her thoughts, she could admit that he wasn't missed probably as much as he should have been. She felt guilty for it too, but he had it coming. Elena spoke to Jenna for a few moments about Jeremy. They often bonded over his moody teenage behavior, and between the two of them they had been trying their best to keep him on track. She couldn't say that Jenna would know what to do if she were here now, because she wouldn't, but at least they could figure it out together.

Elena's thoughts then drifted to Isobel, though they didn't linger there. The woman was hardly someone she wanted to turn to in her time of need, even dead.

Finally, Elena trudged towards her parents. This was where she had really wanted to be all along, because they were her mom and dad, and they'd always love her. She sat down on the cool grass, a contrast to the warm sun, and crossed her legs beneath her.

She had no idea what to say to them. Everything was so different compared to the last time she visited, and as she pulled up the weeds that had grown in around the edges of the dark gray stone, it dawned on her that it had been far too long since her last visit.

"Do you think I'm being too hard on myself?" She asked them, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. "Lately it just feels like nothing is ever enough. Like I'm not enough, now that I'm…a vampire. I know I need to give everyone time, but waiting isn't an easy thing to do when your emotions are dependent on other people's reactions."

Grayson and Miranda Gilbert, forever silent, had no answer for her. Sighing, Elena shifted to lean her back against the tall stone sculpture so she was more comfortable. She traced her fingers over the smoothed out corners to her side, rubbing the marble as if it would give her the same comfort of her parents.

When she looked up, her eyes were immediately drawn to a lone black crow perched atop another headstone, tilting its head from side to side as it looked at her. Elena smiled, "If you think I haven't connected the dots that it was you back when we first met, then you're sorely mistaken."

The crow flew off into the sky and disappeared from sight, only for Damon to materialize out of nowhere to her right and wordlessly sit down next to her, his back against her father's name.

"How do you do that?" She asked curiously.

He smirked, "A little trick I picked up over the years. Handy for spying on those who don't know about it."

"So you admit you were spying?" She teased.

"Watching, more like."

"Oh, you mean stalking."

He chuckled, "If it keeps you safe, then call it whatever the hell you want. I've got plenty of tricks up my sleeve to ward off the things that go bump in the night."

She raised an amused brow, "Even if I am a thing that goes bump in the night?"

Damon rolled his eyes, "Okay, other, more menacing things that go bump in the night, even for vampires."

Smiling, she leaned her head against his shoulder and reached for his hand. She wiggled her fingers into his sleeve and smirked, "I don't feel any other tricks up here. Are you sure?"

Grinning like an idiot at the dorky joke she just made, Damon said, "Try this."

He made no move, and just when Elena was going to ask what it was, she noticed the fog thickening out of nowhere. It was a sunny day, not a cloud in sight, yet fog as thick as pea soup spread throughout the entire cemetery. She could no longer see the headstone that the crow had been on, and with the added moisture to the air the temperature seemed to cool down.

She laughed, "Teach me."

"Why, interested in scaring all the mean kids that picked on you in elementary school?" He smirked.

She shrugged playfully, "Maybe."

He laughed a little then said, "As much as I'd love to sit here and teach you all the tricks, you're still a baby vamp that just figured out compulsion. At the risk of something going horribly wrong and having you blow up the crow's mind then summon locusts instead of fog, I'll pass."

"That could happen?" Elena asked seriously.

Damon grinned, "I guess we'll never know."

Rolling her eyes, she asked, "So what are you doing here? Making sure nobody kidnaps me in their haste to steal my useless blood?"

"Hey, you never know what kind of sickos are out there." He shrugged.

Elena laughed, then said, "You know, you're the only person that's been able to make me smile, genuinely, without making me worry about anything else since I turned. You don't pressure me to talk, judge me for what I do, or even look at me differently. I'm still the same to you, aren't I?"

"I wouldn't say the same." He told her honestly, keeping his tone light. "But I definitely won't deny that that girl's still in there. She's still the same person, just…shit, I don't know. I'm bad with words, Elena."

Placing her hand on his thigh, she gently squeezed him, "I think you're doing a pretty good job."

Changing the subject, Damon asked, "So how are you doing with everything?"

"Honestly? Not that great." She admitted, knowing she could trust him. While she wasn't going to talk to him about her feelings for him yet, she could at least address everything else. "But I guess that's kind of expected, right? Nobody's doing great right after turning into a vampire."

"I'll drink to that." Damon flicked his brows up, wishing he'd brought a bottle of bourbon.

"But enough about me." Elena said. "I feel like I'm brooding, which isn't really helping anything. It's just making me more anxious and worried."

"So then don't." He easily supplied. "Don't care about what everyone else thinks. Trust me, it makes things a lot easier."

"Ever since turning, what you told me in Denver really hits home." She admitted. "I wish that everyone didn't have these expectations of me not to hurt anyone or not to lose control. I have those expectations for myself, but it's different when you're following your own morals versus what everyone else wants."

Damon could see a deep insecurity of hers exposed in the light, clear as day. The girl that fought so hard and was strongest in times when everyone else was weak was really just that—a girl. She didn't deserve to have all of that pressure on her, gnawing away at her insides until gaping holes were left from each time she disappointed someone. It hurt her deeply when someone she cared about suffered because of her, and as much as he wished he could take her pain away, that was part of who she was. To take away that pain would mean to take away her empathy.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she willingly molded into his side, reaching up to hold his hand that was hanging off of her shoulder. He then gently said, "Maybe to find what you're looking for, you should be looking towards the people that are still here instead of those you've lost. I know how hard it is to face people that see nothing but disappointment in you, and if you don't want that to happen, then take it from me. Don't take the easy road out and wait for them to come to you, because it might never happen."

While his advice may not have been very reassuring, it was honest. And that was something she valued deeply.

"I feel like Jeremy's the furthest away." She said sadly. "He's all the family I have left, and you're right, I need to start fighting my own battles instead of letting others defend me." Standing up and brushing the grass off of her jeans, she continued, "I think I'm going to go talk to him now. Thanks for listening, Damon, it means a lot."

He simply smiled in response, and Elena used her speed to flash home. Extending her senses, she heard Jeremy breathing in his room, so as she stepped inside she yelled that she was home.

She went into the kitchen to grab a blood bag from the fridge from the small stock that Damon provided for her and tossed it into the microwave, setting the timer for a minute. While she waited for it to finish and reached into the cabinet for a glass, she heard Jeremy's footsteps behind her and started, "Hey, Jer, can we talk for a minute?"

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain radiating through her back, so painful she nearly collapsed, and she hissed, turning around to see what it was. Jeremy was standing across from her with a crossbow in his arms, loaded with wooden stakes.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked, trying to reach for the stake in her back but unable to reach it without ripping a serious chuck of her flesh out. She braced her arms on the counter and said, "Jeremy, get it out right now!"

"All you vampires do is kill people. You must be eliminated." He said ominously, and almost before she could react he thrust another stake at her.

She flashed out of the way just in time and grabbed Jeremy's arm, twisting it behind his back until he dropped the stake and couldn't move. "Jeremy, what are you talking about!? It's me, Elena!"

He said nothing else, just pulled another stake from his pocket but before he could put it in her stomach like he intended she grabbed that arm as well. Then he struggled in her grasp, and her eyes widened when she realized that he was actually overpowering her.

How was that even possible? She was a vampire, and he was just a human!

"I'm gonna kill you sooner or later, so you might as well release me now and get it over with!" He hissed as Elena tapped into every ounce of strength she had. The stake in her back wasn't helping, and when she accepted that Jeremy was going to get out of her hold, she checked his hand for the ring that would bring him back to life then snapped his neck.

She caught his body as he fell and she lowered him to the floor, cradling his head in her lap. Her throat felt tight seeing his lifeless body laying there because of her, but she told herself that it was only temporary. While the ring probably wasn't the safest thing, as proven by Alaric's ring, it was better than nothing. She grappled around her pockets for her cell phone before calling Damon.

He answered after a couple rings, "Miss me already?"

Ignoring his greeting, she whimpered, "Damon, I need you to come over here."

Noting the pained tone to her voice, he quickly asked, "What's wrong? I'm on my way, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll explain when you get here." She said, wincing as she shifted Jeremy's head and the stake rubbed against some kind of internal organ. She was never good with anatomy.

"I'll be there in five minutes, tops." He said, right before hanging up.

Her phone clattered to the floor as it slipped from her fingers, and she wished she had that bag of blood in the microwave to gulp down more than anything. Every time she moved, she could feel more blood seeping from the wound, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to reach it.

Her breathing was harder and more painful than normal, leading her to believe that it had punctured a lung, but luckily true to his word, Damon arrived barely a minute after their conversation ended. He came storming into the front door, swinging it open so hard Elena wondered if the knob put a hole in the wall, and he flashed into the kitchen.

Taking in the sight of her sitting on the floor with a dead Jeremy spread across her lap, he furrowed his brows, "What happened?"

She motioned to her back, grimacing as the movement caused pain, "Can you…?"

His eyes widening when he saw it along with the discarded crossbow laying on the floor, he quickly kneeled down next to her and said, "This is gonna hurt."

She smirked, "It already hurts. Just get it out."

Her soft cry as he yanked it from her back cut through him, making his instincts to protect her and care for her flare up. Hearing the occasional beeps on the microwave from the unattended blood inside, he retrieved the bag and grabbed a straw from a drawer, forgoing the glass. She gratefully sucked down a few large gulps before shuddering and shaking out the stiff muscles of her now healed back.

"Why's Jeremy dead?" He asked, noting the ring on his finger.

Shaking her head, Elena explained exasperatedly, "He just came at me, like he was someone else. I was heating up the blood, asking to talk to him, and the next thing I know there's a stake in my back and he's telling me he's going to kill me. I mean, I know he wasn't happy with me becoming a vampire, but I hadn't thought that he'd try to kill me…"

Damon frowned at the unusual behavior. Jeremy wouldn't kill his sister, not without something else intervening. He knew that for a fact, because through all of the shit that the two of them have been through, the kid's always loved his sister more than anything.

Reaching to tuck a fallen lock of hair behind Elena's ear, his fingertips traced around the curve of her ear and down to her jaw, grabbing her attention as well. "I don't think he actually was himself, Elena, because he would never try to kill you. Call Bonnie. In the mean time, I'll bring him to the couch and we'll see what he has to say when he wakes up." She nodded as Damon lifted Jeremy into his arms, then he suggested, "Why don't you go upstairs and clean up? Finish your blood first though, so you're all healed up and satisfied."

He laid Jeremy across the couch as he listened to Elena's light footsteps upstairs, looking at his expressionless face. Maybe some witch possessed him to try to kill Elena. Not that there were any witches around that wanted her dead. His mind was already jumping to Klaus, wondering if maybe he somehow compelled Jeremy to do something, or if one of his hybrids did, just because he was unhappy with Elena's transition. Not that she had any control over it, and let's face it, if he was going to do something he already would have. He was clearly busy with something, probably trying to get into Blondie's pants, though Damon hoped that was all.

Or maybe Jeremy's ring was going bad and making him go crazy like Ric. If that was the case, then they had to get it away from him as soon as he woke up.

Elena's nervous voice carried through the house, filling his ears with her fear as she spoke to Bonnie. He listened to the witch's hesitance to talk to Elena, but as soon as she mentioned Jeremy she was on her way. How convenient; when a human needed her, she was all too willing, but when her best friend needed her, she couldn't give a damn.

Damon swore that he was the only one looking out for her these days.

He heard the shower start up and bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from imagining what a view that made. Elena, wet and naked, water cascading down her body, running between her soft, supple breasts and down to her—and on that note, he had to stop or else he was going to march right up there and join her. She had already seen him naked, hell, she had done more than look at him. He thought it was only fair if he got the same courtesy.

Just as he decided that maybe he would go up there and see how far he could push her boundaries, the water shut off, as did his fantasy. Throwing himself in the armchair, he thought of every turn off he could imagine to get himself under control. Animal blood, cheap bourbon, Carol Lockwood—yep, that one did it.

Elena traipsed downstairs a few moments later, answering the door to Bonnie's raised fist, ready to knock. The perks of vampire senses. The two of them strolled into the living room, though Bonnie's steps faltered and her gaze hardened at the sight of him.

The sight made him smirk knowingly, but Elena's glare kept his mouth shut from every inappropriate greeting that was dancing on the tip of his tongue.

Elena explained what had happened, and when she finished Damon interjected, "I was thinking maybe his ring was going bad, or somebody compelled him. I suppose we'll know more once he wakes from death, but for now, work your witchy juju and figure out what went wrong."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, but decided to ignore him as she reached for Jeremy's ring. Careful not to remove it from his hand, she clasped her fingers around it and mumbled some Latin words that nobody understood. While she still couldn't practice magic after what she had seen happen to her Grams, she could still feel for magic. When she opened her eyes, she frowned, "The ring's fine, I can't sense any dark magic or anything strange going on with it."

"How would we know if Jeremy was compelled?" Elena asked.

Bonnie raised his hand, pointing to the leather bracelet on his wrist, "He's wearing vervain. If a vampire compelled him, then they replaced the bracelet, which they can't touch without burning. So doubtful, because they'd have no way of getting it off of him in the first place."

"But what does that leave?" She asked, growing frustrated. "That my own brother really wanted to kill me?"

The emotional pain in her voice made some of Bonnie's anger subside. While having her best friend become a vampire wasn't something she particularly enjoyed, she still loved her. "Jeremy would never want to purposely kill you, Elena." She said sympathetically, holding his limp hand in hers. She still cared deeply for Jeremy, maybe even still loved him, but there was just so much between them that needed to be worked out before anything could happen. "He loves you more than anything." She added, not tearing her gaze away from Jeremy's face.

"Then why would he do that?" Elena asked, not really expecting an answer. She was frustrated, tired, and sad that nothing could ever go right in her life. If she wasn't battling a deranged hybrid wanting to sacrifice her, then she was fending off a brother desperate to spill vampire blood.

Noticing a mark beneath the leather cuff filled with vervain, Bonnie furrowed her brows and slid it up his arm. Around Jeremy's wrist was what looked like a tattoo. She blurted out, "Jeremy got a tattoo?"

Both Damon and Elena looked at her like she was insane. When did he have time to get that? Between talking to his undead girlfriends and dying every other weekend?

Elena moved next to Bonnie to look at it, seeing that it looked like tree branches, sans leaves, extending upwards. It appeared unfinished, and even Damon had moved to get a closer look at it.

"Take that douche-y emo glove off." He ordered, referring to the black leather fingerless glove Jeremy was wearing.

Rolling her eyes a little, Elena reached for it, but as soon as her fingers touched it they singed in pain and she hissed, "It's covered in vervain…"

Bonnie took it off instead, tossing it aside as the three of them looked in awe at the odd tattoo on the top of his hand. It appeared to be three pitchforks of some sort all intersecting surrounded by twisted and tangled branched that extended to his wrist.

"Why do I get the feeling that that's not a part of his painted nails and pot smoking phase?" Damon quipped.

"Because it's not."

The three of them looked up at the unexpected voice, surprised to see Stefan standing in the kitchen, holding the bloodstained stake that had been lodged in Elena's back.

He tossed it across the room, Damon catching it easily, and continued, "Look at the mark on the end."

Sure enough, the same mark that was on Jeremy's hand was carved into the stake.

"What the hell do you know about it, baby brother?" Damon asked skeptically. His brother had spent the better part of his existence brooding in old libraries where he could avoid any human contact, and the rest of it was spent so high on human blood that he couldn't tell up from down. He didn't exactly have the life experiences that Damon had, therefore the knowledge that came along with being alive for so long.

Stefan explained, "I noticed the tattoo not too long ago before he started wearing the glove. At first I thought he had just gotten a tattoo and didn't want anyone to know, until I heard how hard he was taking it that Elena turned. And the design isn't exactly something conventional, so I did some research. It's called the Hunter's Mark. It's a symbol of the Brotherhood of the Five."

"English, Stefan." Damon goaded.

Sending a glare at his brother, he continued, "At any point in time, there are five people in the world with that tattoo. The brotherhood was formed by an ancient coven of witches to hunt vampires. Their strength rivals that of vampires, and they're ruthless. They are considered human only until that tattoo is finished, then while still mortal, they unlock their true power which could bring down even the oldest vampires. The worst part? The mark is completed by killing vampires."

Elena stared at him in shock, unable to comprehend how, out of all people, her brother had been chosen to be one of these hunters.

Stefan kept explaining, "Apparently, these hunters' main purpose isn't even to kill vampires. They thirst for the blood of the immortal, but their main purpose for creation was to hunt down and kill the legendary immortal Silas. Nobody seems to know where he is, only that once he's dead, The Five will lose their drive to kill vampires and return to their human abilities. The legend dates back over 2,000 years, that Silas was a powerful witch that created immortality for himself. Deemed unnatural by witches, they sealed him in a tomb to punish him for his sins and condemned him to death by The Five, once they find him. They are the only ones capable of killing him, though any that have even gotten close were killed by Silas's mind games before they got the chance to end him."

They all stared at Stefan in shock, absorbing the information. Damon narrowed his eyes, "And how did you figure all that out?"

"I told you, I did some research."

Eying him up and down, Damon instantly knew that Stefan never would have known where to start looking with that mark on Jeremy's hand, leaving him only one option. Damon groaned, "Oh Steffie, tell me you didn't."

"Didn't what?" He frowned, acting dumb.

Damon snorted, "I should have known that even after everything he did to you, you still wouldn't be on our side."

Realizing his cover was blown, Stefan hit back, "I am on your side, that's why I did it!"

Everyone's confusion was quickly answered when Damon shouted, "Since when is going to Klaus with our problems the right thing to do!?"


	8. Chapter 8

Klaus was very pleased with how things were turning out, in all areas of his life.

Caroline and Tyler were on the outs thanks to Tyler's lady werewolf 'friend' with whom he had relations with. She was available and hurting, leaving the perfect chance for him to swoop in and save the day. He even had a date with her today.

His family was, for once, not angry with him for anything and were waiting around at his beck and call for their next order.

Any threats to him were dead or taken care of, all except for that pesky white oak stake that he couldn't seem to find, but he would in time. No vampires around him were strong enough to ever use it against him anyway.

And once he got his hands on Silas, he'd be even more powerful than he already was.

He'd been pleasantly surprised when Stefan had shown up on his doorstep, asking all about the Hunter's Mark. He hadn't heard of it in centuries, not since his poor sister ran into Alexander, one of the first members of The Five.

So he shared the tale with the youngest Salvatore, knowing full well that he'd go blabbing to the whole crew about it. It really didn't take a genius for Klaus to figure out that Jeremy Gilbert was the one with the mark. He was, after all, the only true human left aside from the simpleton that his sister seemed keen on for whatever reason, therefore the only eligible person.

Suddenly the boy's life had become very valuable to him, because he was the key to finding Silas. Klaus was already putting his plans in motion. He had Elijah picking through their sister's brain for the location in which she buried her ex lover, Alexander, along with his sword, which just so happened to be the key to deciphering the Gilbert boy's tattoo. That would tell him everything he needed to know about where Silas was, and once he figured that out, there would be no stopping him.

Silas, who was a witch when mortal, became a psychic as well as a witch when turned immortal. His power was so great that he could trick peoples' minds into thinking he appeared as someone other than who he was.

During his time looking for a way to end Mikael, Klaus came across a witch that shared the story. She had promised him that if he obtained the magic talisman that belonged to Silas and had a witch extract its power into him, then he would gain the same psychic abilities.

The only issue was that nobody on this planet seemed to know where he was entombed. That, and Klaus would have to get past the tricks Silas can play on his mind. He was confident that not much would be able to deter him, after all, Silas had been lying desiccated for two millennia and was at his weakest. There was no way he could get inside the head of an original hybrid older than a thousand years.

But, since his plan that had newly been set in motion was reliant on Jeremy completing the mark, it had almost been too easy to convince Stefan to join his side. Klaus was well aware that Elena had chosen Damon over Stefan, and while he couldn't care less which one of those fools she decided to shack up with, he knew he could use it to his advantage.

Stefan, the lovesick fool that he was, was so devoted to Elena the entire time he had him by his side chasing down werewolf packs that one simple mention of how grateful she would be if he fixed her brother for her got his instant alliance. Klaus planned on ditching the man he once called his friend once it was time to go find Silas, but for now…

Well, the mark had to be completed somehow, right? It was hilariously effortless to give Stefan the assignment of getting Jeremy to kill as many vampires as it took to finish the tattoo.

Come to think of it, this whole thing was going to be easier than he ever imagined. He and his siblings were the only ones that could translate the ancient language engraved onto the sword, and once he learned of the location, they would all become useless to him. He would ditch Mystic Falls in favor of something greater. To hell with his hybrids, who needed them when he could have anyone he wanted under his control?

As the most powerful being on earth, he then would be at his leisure to do anything he liked. Perhaps he'd convince Caroline to travel the world with him. He'd fulfill that promise he made her about things beyond Mystic Falls waiting for her to see.

Surely witches would be after him like never before once he was truly an imbalance of nature, but with the kind of power he would possess he could easily get into their heads and take them down. He wondered if the white oak stake would still affect him, but assuming it would, any opponent he might have could again, be influenced, and he'd have the stake destroyed.

Yes, his life was truly shaping up ever since his brush with death. He felt as though he had to scrub Tyler Lockwood from his body for weeks, despite there never having been any actual contact between them.

All that was left to do was obtain the sword, complete the mark, then get Jeremy and a witch capable of performing the right spell to unlock the spell to Silas's location. Then, there would be nothing able to stop him from accessing a power greater than he could ever imagine.

* * *

Spotting Jeremy scarfing down a donut at the refreshment table, Stefan made his way over to him, thankful that yesterday he had woken up in his right mind and not wanting to stake any vampire he came across.

Jeremy had explained that the tattoo randomly showed up one day, and he hadn't noticed anything different about himself so he hid it, not wanting anyone to worry about him. Though, he had admitted that his distaste towards vampires had started around the time it showed up. It was kind of like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head, and it all made sense. His attitude towards his sister, the hate towards vampires when he knew he could trust some of them, even his strange desire to carve the design into any weapons against vampires.

Now that he was aware of it, he was pretty sure he could handle it, so long as the urges didn't get worse. He had just let them get the better of him, and thank god Elena hadn't gotten seriously hurt.

"Jeremy, I need your help with something." Stefan said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Narrowing his eyes, Jeremy set down the glass of champagne that he'd lifted from a passing tray and asked, "What?"

"Come with me." Stefan was already walking away, leaving Jeremy no choice but to follow. On his list of trusted vampires was his sister, Damon, Caroline, and newly written in, Stefan, so while he was curious, he wasn't too worried about his safety. Even as he followed Stefan through the woods, Jeremy only questioned him once, to which he answered vaguely.

Eventually they came across the Lockwood cellar, which wasn't too far from the house where everyone was gathered for the annual Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Sad to say, Stefan didn't remember much of it from last year. He wished that he could have been stronger for Elena and danced with her just as she imagined, but the fact that Damon had been her stand in was enough to grate on his nerves, especially now.

He'd screw up eventually with Elena, and she'd realize that she made a mistake in choosing him. Stefan would be there waiting with open arms, too. He loved his older brother, but it was a well known fact that Damon was incapable of maintaining a functioning relationship. He would lash out the second something pissed him off, and Elena would get hurt. Of that he had no doubt, and when she realized it too, he would be there to pick up the shattered pieces.

And being able to say that he stopped her brother from wanting to kill her wouldn't hurt one bit.

Leading Jeremy down the stone steps, he unlocked the gate and stepped inside, letting the minimal light from the door and small barred windows illuminate the man tied to a chair in the center of the room.

Knowing an explanation was needed, Stefan said, "He's a vampire, Jeremy, and you need to kill him."

"What? No!" Jeremy immediately argued, taking a step back. While he was supposedly some kind of vampire hunter, he didn't exactly want to go around ending people's undead lives. So not his idea of a good time.

"He's a criminal!" Stefan stated. "He was locked up in the police station for murdering two children, and he's even more of a monster now that he's a vampire. Don't think, just kill him. You know you want to."

Jeremy swallowed, taking a closer look at the man. He seemed unconscious for the moment, but if he was a vampire, then that meant he wasn't truly out of it. Stefan suddenly appeared in front of him, dragging a sharp stake across his wrist to create a shallow cut, before shoving the stake into his hand.

"Either you kill him, or he'll smell your blood and he'll kill you." Stefan said, backing away to a corner to watch the scene play out.

Suddenly the vampire became more alert, struggling within his bindings until finally they gave way. Everything happened so quickly. Jeremy had him staked in the heart before he even knew what was happening, and a tingling sensation on his wrist made him look down. The tattoo grew about an inch before his eyes.

A glance at Stefan proved that he was just as interested in the development, and for the first time, Jeremy questioned why he was making him kill vampires. He had his urges under control, so going after Silas to free him of the mark was unnecessary.

He was a vampire though, and he couldn't be trusted. He would manipulate people's minds all day long before feeding on their blood and killing them. No good vampire would ever force him to kill.

All at once, the urge washed through him and Jeremy pounced, the stake ready in his hand and aimed at Stefan's heart. However, the vampire was much older and wiser than Jeremy, and had him in a headlock with the stake on the ground a few feet away before he could do anything.

"Jeremy, stop!"

The concern in Stefan's voice brought him back, making him wonder why the hell he snapped like that. He thought he could control it, but the desire had just been so overwhelming… It was like what he felt when he attacked Elena.

Stefan wondered the same thing, but he chalked it up to the thrill of the kill. Jeremy was in the moment, and had his Hunter nature set on kill mode. There were a few more vampires Stefan had chained up and drugged with vervain the holding cells mere feet away. He'd let Jeremy kill them, see where that got his tattoo, and then he'd find some more people to turn and hand over to the kid.

His mark would be completed in no time, with Klaus's help they would find Silas, and Jeremy would be freed.

Then something struck him. What was in it for Klaus? But then Stefan realized that it didn't really matter. Klaus was willing to help them because he wanted Silas, and then he'd be off doing whatever he wanted, leaving all of them alone. It was a win-win. Klaus got what he wanted and left, and Elena would be safe with him gone and his interest in her nonexistent.

As he allowed Jeremy to finish off the two other vampires he had locked in the cells, it got increasingly harder for him to snap out of the murderous trance he seemed to go in. It took a punch across the face to finally knock him out of it, only for him to turn back into his teenage self and start cursing Stefan for hitting him.

However, even as they returned to the pageant where Jeremy was set to escort April Young, he had to be snapped out of it once more when he came at Stefan with a tree branch.

* * *

"Why the long face, feeling nostalgic disappointment at having lost last year's pageant to Miss Neurotic Control Freak?" Damon smirked, leaning in the doorway of one the rooms upstairs in the Lockwood mansion where Elena stood with April Young.

She looked stunning in the tight lacy black dress with her hair pulled away from her tempting neck that he buried his fangs in twice within the past week or so.

"You know I can hear you, jackass!" Caroline screeched from the adjoining room before swinging the door open with two dresses in hand.

Damon shrugged then looked back to Elena, raising his brows. She rolled her eyes and approached him while Caroline took over with April, "I was just thinking about Jeremy. I know he said that he has it under control, but how am I supposed to believe that when he almost killed me?"

"Don't worry about it, Elena, if he was having problems, he'd tell you. Think of it like this, now that we know about it, we know why he was giving you such a hard time."

She sighed, not really wanting to talk about it. All she wanted to do was get through this pageant then make sure Jeremy was really okay. Klaus knowing that Jeremy was a vampire hunter by nature wasn't really making her feel safe, no thanks to Stefan. They would have been able to figure out the mark without his help, and they'd all be a lot safer for it too.

But they couldn't change what had already happened, all they could do was take precautions against anything else going wrong.

"Elena, don't you think the blue dress is prettier?" Caroline asked.

Furrowing her brows at the two choices, Elena blanched, "Um, yeah, the blue one's pretty…"

Damon scoffed, "Wear the red one. The judges aren't looking for pretty, they're looking for sexy."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "You're an idiot. She's sixteen, they're not looking for sexy!"

"Elena wore blue and she didn't win." Damon pointed out. "What do you think, Elena?"

She shrugged, "The red one's nice too, I guess, but don't you think a slit up to her thigh is a bit…risqué for a pageant like this?"

Damon pouted at the two of them, "You're no fun, always killing my mood."

Caroline raised a brow, "Your mood is exploiting underage girls?"

Elena giggled, earning a glare from Damon, but she couldn't bring herself to care. April even cracked a grin, and said, "Thanks for the advice, but I think I'm going to go with the red one. I kind of like the slit, and it makes up for the extra skin by covering my chest."

Grinning smugly, Damon said, "Thank you, April. At least one of you girls has some common sense."

She beamed under his praise, and Elena felt a jolt of jealousy run through her. Gritting her teeth, she told herself that it was ridiculous to be jealous. Not only was Damon in love with her, but April was so much younger, and she was surprised Damon even knew her name.

Caroline huffed, "Get out of here so she can get dressed!"

Dodging a shoe, Damon chuckled and decided to make himself scarce before the queen had a stroke. Descending the stairs, he froze at the bottom when he spotted none other than Professor Shane standing off to the side. As it goes, the creep somehow scored himself a seat on the judge's panel this year, how, Damon will never know. As far as he could tell, Carol Lockwood had been tickled by him when he threw a gallery for his artifacts at the high school in which Bonnie had helped him.

Odd, to say the least.

The last he had heard, Professor Creepy was giving Bonnie some family belongings. He also heard from Elena that he was getting closer to the witch, helping her cope with what had happened to her Grams. Apparently he knew that Bonnie was a witch, because of her grandmother, and he has been working with her on her magic after it was stunted when she helped Klaus.

And evidently, the little witch had taken it into her own hands and decided to ask him all about Silas and what he knew because of his interest in witches. Of course, he couldn't tell them anything they didn't already know, but it wasn't exactly the best news that he knew they were interested in finding Silas. The sooner they could get rid of Jeremy's urges the better, though having some shady professor that knows about witches lurking around, growing closer to Bonnie, wasn't exactly a step towards helping Jeremy.

He was certainly a wildcard, and Damon hated wildcards.

Suddenly the professor glanced in Damon's direction, spotting him standing there, and excused himself from the conversation he'd been having. "Damon Salvatore." He stated, and Damon didn't even want to know how he got his name. Resisting a grimace at just the sound of his voice, Damon managed to keep his expression neutral. Atticus Shane continued, "Looks like we're traveling the same circuit."

"Professor Shane." He smiled tightly. "Just the guy I wanted to see." Walking towards him to close the distance, Damon led him outside to where no prying ears would be able to listen in. Excluding the vampires, of course. Snagging a glass of champagne from a waiter, Damon sipped it as he said, "Since you seem to know so much about this Silas guy and the Hunters, I need another Hunter."

Admittedly, going out looking for another supernatural vampire hunter wasn't the greatest idea, but if what everyone has said about Silas is true, that he's some kind of all powerful psychic that can manipulate your mind, he didn't want Jeremy getting anywhere near him. So, the next best option would be getting another Hunter to kill the old bastard and release The Five from the spell.

Professor Shane, knowing only that people around here seemed interested in tracking down Silas, commented, "I thought you already had a potential Hunter."

"I did, but he ended up being a potential problem."

"Well, there's nothing I can do to help you." Shane told him.

He narrowed his eyes, "You sure about that? How about you help me out by telling me what you're doing here? What's in your little lesson plan here, Professor?"

"You think too highly of me, Damon." He returned. Damon just raised his brows in return, as if daring him to confess his dark master plan.

And Damon knew he had one. You see, Professor Shane seemed to think himself a psychologist. Hence, his sessions with Bonnie, and a quick look into phone records during a basic background check unearthed something rather disturbing.

"I'm going to go find the other judges." Shane made to leave, but Damon held out a hand to stop him.

"Hey, no pity votes for April Young, okay? I mean, just because her dad blew up a house filled with people doesn't mean she should get a tiara." Shane stopped, and turned to face him more fully. Damon continued, "But you knew him, didn't you? Because I hear you two racked up a pretty impressive phone bill."

Through narrowed eyes, Shane said, "If you want to know something about me Damon, just ask."

"Okay." He said, a smirk pulling at his lips. "How did you convince the pastor to kill all those people?"

A small smirk of his own, Shane replied, "Did you just accuse me of mass murder in the middle of a high school pageant?"

"I'm nothing, if not bold." Damon grinned, almost too giddy at the reactions he was getting.

Carol Lockwood's voice interrupted them as she announced the start of the pageant. Shane slinked away, surely to join the other judges and avoid answering his question truthfully, and Damon mentally groaned. He needed answers from that moron, and he wasn't above compelling to get them. He would have done it already if he didn't suspect the guy knew all about vervain.

Damon decided to join in on the party while he was there, and he instinctively searched the air for Elena's sweet scent. She smelled like cherries and vanilla, and her scent was unmistakable even masked by the hundreds of other people swarming around him. He strode over to where she stood watching as Caroline announced the contestants and their escorts, clapping when appropriate. He threw an arm around her shoulders just as Blondie announced April Young, though her escort wasn't Jeremy Gilbert as he had anticipated and Caroline announced. Instead, Donovan stepped in and led her out onto the dance floor.

"Where's the little punk?" He asked Elena.

She pursed her lips, "That's my brother you're talking about, Damon." He rolled his eyes. "And I have no idea. Matt told me that nobody could find him anywhere."

Damon frowned, "With an open bar and just finding out that he has desires to murder vampires, I'm sure he just had one too many drinks. He's probably passed out in a room upstairs."

"Except they checked all of the rooms. He's nowhere on the property, and while I wouldn't put it past him to get drunk, he wouldn't just disappear. Nobody in this town disappears without reason for concern."

Cursing under his breath, he knew she was right. If Jeremy was well and truly missing, that couldn't be good.

"Let's just get through this pageant, and see if he shows up. Maybe he just had second thoughts about dancing in front of so many people when he might go all Buffy and attack the nearest vamp in front of everyone."

She nodded and let out a breath, "Okay." As the music started, she snaked an arm around his waist and leaned into his side. Watching the contestants and their escorts dance the same dance that she and Damon had, she looked up at him and found him already looking at her. They shared a knowing smile, no words necessary to know that they were both thinking of those few, isolated minutes where the world fell away and nothing mattered outside of them.

Damon smiled as he kissed the top of her head, and she dropped her cheek against his shoulder while they watched the dance progress. How things had changed in one short year. So many things had happened. Back then, she had been worried about Stefan's blood problem while dealing with her growing attraction to Damon, that was more than just physical. Now, she was in love with him while Stefan was trying to move on.

Or at least that's what she thought.

When she spotted Caroline marching over towards them, Elena excused herself from Damon to go call Jeremy. The blonde diverted her path, heading straight for Elena. "What's with the last minute escort change?" She hissed, not happy with her flawless planning having a hiccup.

Elena sighed, "I don't know, Matt said he couldn't find Jeremy anywhere and he's not answering his phone."

Instantly converting to concerned friend mode, Caroline began, "Okay, you go home and check to see if he's there, and I'll get everyone working here to look around the property."

She shook her head, "No, Caroline, Jeremy's been having a rough time recently and I'm not going to freak out about it just yet. Maybe Damon was right, maybe he just grabbed a bottle from the bar and snuck off into the woods. I know I couldn't blame him for it."

Caroline put a hand on her hip, "No, Damon's never right. Damon is sneaky, and manipulative, and rude, but he's never right. God, how can you not see that?"

Elena gaped at her friend, not believing that she had just said all of that right to her face. It was common knowledge by now that her and Stefan were over and she was well on her way to Damon. Caroline knew how Elena felt about him, but she just blatantly insulted him in front of her. She wasn't asking for them to be best friends, but at least act civil towards one another. Nicknames and teasing aside, she knew that Damon really did respect her. It was just sad to see that the feeling wasn't returned, just like it never has been all of Damon's life.

"I don't know, but why do I think that you won't hesitate to tell me?" Elena pasted a fake smile on her face.

Caroline looked at her in disbelief, then said, "Fine, friend-tervention. I think your so called 'feelings for Damon' are really starting to cloud your judgment and I don't like it! And the thought of you two together really makes me wanna barf!"

"Easy, love, you're making a scene." Klaus said softly, inching up beside her. Great, just what Elena needed. Not only did her best friend think that her love for Damon was awful, but now she had to deal with him?

"Wow, Caroline." Elena bristled, a pissed off grin on her face. "Thank you for making this very difficult time so much easier. You know, it's not like my whole entire life just changed less than a month ago and the only thing that has been keeping me together is that, what did you call him, 'sneaky, manipulative, and rude' man. While I've been struggling just to get through the day and accept the fact that I'm dead, you're off on a date with Klaus, of all people, and you have the nerve to lecture me about my choice in men?"

Seeing her jaw resting securely on the floor, unable to argue, Elena moved past her, making sure to knock her shoulder as she went.

Meanwhile, Damon just got off the phone with his dear brother and had a brand new pissed off mood to go with it. Deciding to get some answers, he tracked down Professor Shane and cornered him in one of the many rooms of the mansion.

When he noticed Damon, he said, "Wow, I must be the least intimidating mass murderer ever."

"Well you still never gave me a name, so—"

"Look I don't have another name. At any point in time there are five Hunters in existence. Most of them have no idea who they are, or even that the supernatural exists. Finding one in a lifetime is next to impossible, let alone another."

He walked around Damon and made to leave, but deciding that there was nothing left to lose, Damon flashed over in front of him, stopping him in his tracks and making his eyes go wide.

Then he blew out a laugh, "Subtle."

Damon resisted rolling his eyes, "Like you didn't already know. You have five seconds to give me another name, or else you die."

"You know, since it's generally unwise for a vampire to seek out a Hunter that means you're interested in the mark. It's probably because of where it leads, but here's the thing, even if you can complete the mark and get the map, Silas is sealed in a tomb with a spell that only a certain kind of witch can perform."

Well that was news to him. He had figured that they needed a witch to find the old decrepit immortal, but a special kind? He swore if the next word out of his mouth was Bennett…

"What kind of witch?"

"Come on, Damon." He chuckled.

Grabbing his wrist in just the right way, Damon chuckled, "I love pressure points. What kind of witch?"

"You're a big boy, you can figure this one out."

Damon cursed again and again, "You leave Bonnie out of this."

Shane gasped out through the pain, "She's the only one that can do it, and until she's back in touch with her magic there's no point in any of this. And between the two of us, who do you think she trusts to help her with that?"

Well her judgment was severely lacking, Damon thought angrily. At least he now knew what this guy's real motivation behind Bonnie was. While it was slightly concerning that he seemed to want to find Silas so desperately, he was just a human, and could easily be overpowered.

Damon released him, albeit reluctantly, and Shane continued, "Your five seconds are up, unless you just realized you need me alive." With a smirk at knowing he was right, Shane continued, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a scholarship to award."


	9. Chapter 9

Since I am using the Silas plot in this story, but it's different from canon, I'll try to make it clear. To kill Silas, all that's needed is for one of the five to kill him. It can be done any way. Stabbing, beheading, gunshot-whatever, it doesn't matter. He's immortal to everyone but the five. Maybe it's because the witches that made them used Silas's blood or something; like I mentioned at the start, the plot wasn't my priority with this story so I apologize for any inconsistencies. I'm rereading as I'm posting to try to clear things up. That's really the only difference about Silas though. He is still found the same way and the tomb is unlocked the same way. It'll be more clear once we actually get to that part.

Anyways, this chapter is pretty fluffy and the following goes back to smutty :)

* * *

"Stefan, tell me you haven't been forcing my brother to kill vampires!" Elena hissed lowly, just in case someone was trying to listen in on her conversation. One hand covering the already healing wound on her neck, she glared at her ex-boyfriend that had a guilty look on his face.

"It's the only way to complete the mark." He argued lamely, and Elena growled her response.

"He was just fine before you decided to take matters into your own hands! What the hell were you thinking!? Jeremy was controlling it!"

"For how long, Elena!?" Stefan snapped. "A week? Two weeks? A month? How much longer until the nightmares manifested into something more and he killed you in your sleep!?"

Though she hated to admit it, he was right. Jeremy confessed that he'd been having nightmares about killing vampires for a while now, he just hadn't wanted to worry anyone. And now Stefan was telling her this, that he was turning people into vampires for Jeremy to murder. He could argue all he wanted that the vampires were criminals as humans, but Elena barely even recognized the man that stood in front of her now. The Stefan she thought he was never would have forced anyone to kill, let alone kill people himself.

But the best part about all of it? Killing vampires, while it made Jeremy's tattoo grow, made his desire to kill grow as well. He attacked Stefan multiple times, saying things about how he couldn't be trusted, and he even managed to stake him in the stomach once.

Fast forward a few minutes to when he arrived at party again, and he attacked Elena. Drove a pencil into her neck. Stefan got there just in time to pull him away from her, and Matt managed to intercept just in time to pull Jeremy away from any and all vampires.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, this happened.

She wanted to blame Stefan for it, and while superficially she could, she knew that one day Jeremy wouldn't have been able to control himself. It was best if they saw this thing through and killed Silas, or at least she hoped it was.

At her responding silence, Stefan continued more calmly, "He's the only way to fix all of this, Elena. I'm not asking you to be happy about it, just realize that it's the only way."

Sighing, Elena accepted that they were going to see this thing through one way or another. "We have to figure out a way for him to get this under control. If he kills vampires, fine, so be it, as long as it's something he wants. Just make sure at the end of it, he's still him."

"Like you're still you?" Stefan muttered under his breath, but with her new sense of hearing she caught it just fine. "When I heard you decided to complete the transition, I was happy that I wasn't going to lose you. I still am. But I never imagined that you'd lose yourself as far as you have. You went to a college party and fed from humans, Elena, do I even have to tell you why that's wrong? I don't care if you don't drink animal blood, but to see you with so little empathy for others…it's just sad."

Guilt was an emotion Elena was all too familiar with, and now was no different. She swallowed the lump in her throat but steeled her resolve, "You don't have to love me like this. You should try to move on, because the human Elena died in that warehouse in Damon's arms. I'm not asking you to be okay with my decision, just to accept it. I'm sorry that our relationship ended the way it did, over the phone while you thought you were dying, but I won't apologize for anything else. Choosing to go to Damon, ending our relationship, becoming a vampire…you can't make me feel guilty for any of it. I won't let you. If you're not happy that I was feeding from humans, I don't care, because you are the last person allowed to judge me about control. I'm confident in my decisions, and they're not going to change anytime soon. I moved on from us. Longer ago than I care to admit. You should too."

Not a single emotion crossed Stefan's features, and while she could see the hurt in his eyes, she'd never seen him like this. Bottom line, they both had changed. They'd grown out of each other, or at least she had grown out of him. She didn't need him anymore the way she used to, and to put it bluntly, the thought of being with him again was nearly nauseating.

He was just different. And that was okay. He was someone she used to be in love with, but they had no future together. Her future was elsewhere, and as Stefan's gaze flickered over her shoulder and she turned to see what he was looking at, her eyes settled on that future.

Their life together was all she saw when she looked at Damon. She saw him waking her up in the morning with lazy kisses and breakfast in bed, even if it was in a plastic bag from the hospital. She saw him driving down the road in his Camaro with her in the passenger seat, grinning from ear to ear as she threw candy at him, begging him to tell her where he was taking her for the surprise road trip. She saw so far down the line that she had to stop and tell herself that she was getting a little ahead of their situation. White dresses, matching rings, and Damon in that damn tuxedo he just so happened to be wearing right now.

She smiled reassuringly at Damon, whose lips quirked up in a smile back before she turned to face Stefan. When she looked at him, all she could see was their past. As messy and ugly as it got, the good parts just didn't seem as good anymore. Not when he fed from her, nearly to the point of death, almost drove her off the side of the bridge her parents died on, and repeatedly broke her heart and betrayed her trust all for the sake of revenge.

One day, she would see a friend in him, but right now, all she could see was a stranger. Someone she didn't even want to know, nonetheless, not when he was making her brother kill people. He had gone way too far this time, and she wasn't sure if he knew it. All she wanted to do was tell him that he should leave town for a while and work on himself. While she still loved him as a friend and probably always would, that was when he was being him, and not this psychopath that was almost as bad as him on human blood.

When she changed, it hadn't been so drastically that she was unrecognizable, unlike him.

As he walked away, clearly distraught by the way her face lit up at the sight of Damon, she idly thought of how she hadn't wanted to lose anybody by transitioning, and that was exactly what had happened.

Bonnie thought she was a heartless monster that could drain a human dry without remorse.

Caroline thought she was an idiot for following her heart and accepting the inevitable after spending so long denying it.

Jeremy wanted to kill her all because of some curse.

Stefan was disgusted by her choice to embrace the vampire in her instead of deny and suppress it.

Who else could she possibly disappoint?

By the time she got to Damon, she all but fell into his arms and let him make the pain go away. If all of her friends and family made her feel like shit, Damon was the one that made her feel accepted. He understood the need to feed and he helped her control it, which was something Bonnie didn't understand and probably never would so long as she wasn't a vampire. He never pressured her decisions in her romantic life, even when she could tell he really wanted to, unlike Caroline. He'd never judge her for choosing to live as a vampire rather than pretend she was human, unlike Stefan.

She was happy with all of the decisions she made, it just seemed like nobody else was.

Nobody else except for Damon, that is.

If she knew one thing for sure, it was that he would love her through anything. He loved her when she was human, and he still loved her when she was a vampire. Never once had she felt the need to question that.

So you'll have to excuse her for clinging to the person that was most supportive in her time of need.

"Why don't we get you home?" Damon whispered soothingly, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

She shook her head into his chest, "Jeremy wants to kill me. I can't go home. Matt's going to stay with him."

"Even better. We'll go to my place." He said lightly, making her look up at him to see the smirk ever present on his handsome face.

"Hm, tempting…" She hummed, acting as if she was seriously considering not going to his place. "Do you have five star hotel quality? Freshly washed sheets, bathrooms scrubbed to the bone until they're clean, and a freezer filled with blood?"

He frowned playfully, "While the freezer full of blood would make me question your taste in five star hotels, all of that can be arranged."

She grinned, "Blood heated up to a toasty 98.6 and everything?"

"I'll even pour it in our finest glasses if that's what you want." He smirked.

She raised her brows, locking her fingers together behind his neck, "Wow. That sounds amazing. I think the only thing that could seal the deal would be if you joined me in that little scenario."

"Hm, tempting…" He teased, using her earlier words. "Assuming I'm able to get my favorite blood type we can call that a deal."

"You have a favorite blood type?" She asked skeptically.

He nodded casually, "Sure."

She narrowed her eyes and smiled, "What is it?"

Smirking, he said, "Type Elena. I'll grab you a bite to eat out of the freezer, and I'll just grab a bite out of you." He buried his face and her neck and pretended to bite her, just as he had that time they were training. Only this time, Elena's giddy squeal pierced the air as she giggled and pushed him away, wanting him anywhere but away from her. He tugged her right back to him, his hands on her hips, and they met in the middle for a kiss like a reflex. Kissing each other so casually felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Their hands automatically linking together as they began walking towards the car, Damon said, "Oh, BTW, that means by the way, Professor Creepy knows I'm a vampire."

Shrugging, Elena teased, "Oh yeah? Did he try to stake you?"

Damon scoffed, "Please, I would have his heart in my hand before he could even pick up a stake."

"I'm sure my big bad vampire would, too." Elena smirked, bumping her shoulder against his. "Which leads to my next question, where's his heart?"

"Still beating in his scrawny little chest, unfortunately." Damon grumbled. "Turns out, we need Bonnie to perform the spell that will unlock Silas's tomb, and if we want to get Jeremy through this, we need him to help her access her magic again."

"Well, there go your dastardly plans." She said jokingly, her teasing making him smile. He hadn't heard Elena act playful like this in months, and he had every intention of making it last.

"Dastardly?" He snorted. "Who am I, the villain in a spaghetti western?"

"Mm, spaghetti." She mused. "You should make me your spaghetti again sometime soon. Your sauce is way better than my store bought kind."

He shook his head chidingly, "My mother would be appalled that you use store bought. Well, actually that's a lie, back then we couldn't even buy store bought sauces. But still."

"Yeah, we get it. You're really old." She laughed. "God, the infinite amount of jokes available for how old you are…"

"And you better keep them all to yourself." He warned. "Don't even get me started on the jokes about you still being in high school."

"Like anything's ever stopped you before." She pointed out lightheartedly.

He pulled her in for a kiss right before separating so they could drive to their own houses. Elena had to pack a bag and she wanted to say goodnight to Jeremy before she went over to the boarding house.

Everything went smoothly with both Matt and Jeremy, and in no time she was at the boarding house. Just as she was about to go inside, Stefan opened the door, surprising her. Looking equally puzzled to see her there, she offered, "Matt is staying with Jeremy since he's prone to killing me right now, and it's not safe for me there. Damon said I could stay here…"

Noting the clear anger and hurt in his cold, expressionless eyes, Elena almost regretted bringing up Damon.

Almost.

"It's fine, I was just going hunting." He said shortly, moving past her without a second glance.

Elena wished it didn't have to be like this, and that he could just accept her for who she was now. She would miss his friendship, but he had a right to move on in whatever way he needed to. Especially when she had already moved on and was now with his brother. Despite the millions of reasons why it was wrong, Elena just couldn't bring herself to care when Damon felt so right.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her, only to be greeted by a shirtless Damon with damp hair and jeans that hung so low on his hips that she doubted it was possible for him to be wearing underwear. He had a gray shirt slung over his shoulder, waiting to be put on. She smirked, taking in his state of undress, "Is this my welcoming gift? Like your version of chocolates on the pillow?"

He wiggled his brows, his hands on his hips, "That depends. Am I a better alternative to chocolate?"

She grinned, walking into his arms, "As a human, I would have said yes. But now as a vampire when I can taste chocolate so much better…"

He rolled his eyes and laughed, "Just be happy I'm giving you a place to stay. I easily could have sent you on your way to one of your BFF's."

"Like they're even talking to me." Elena scoffed, the words unintentionally slipping out. She hadn't wanted all of her problems to ruin the evening like this.

"Just give them time." Damon said, tracing a pattern of brushing her hair behind her ear and rubbing his thumb against her jaw. "It's only been a couple weeks. They'll come around. Anything I can do to help?"

"Being here helps." She answered easily, resting her cheek against his shoulder so her forehead touched his neck. "But being nice to them would help too."

"You've got a better shot at keeping my company than that." He joked, running his fingers through her hair.

She rolled her eyes a little then said, "Try? For me? I'm going to go upstairs and take a shower, could you heat some blood in a few minutes and bring it to me?"

"Taking full advantage of hotel services, huh?" He smirked. She blushed prettily and he bit his lower lip to stop from grinning at how beautiful she was. "Go. I'll take care of everything."

She smiled shyly up at him before picking up her bag and walking towards the stairs. He watched her go the entire way, her long legs taking her gracefully through the house and her hips swaying with her natural stride. Her long, shiny hair hung straight down her back, pulled out of the braid it had been in earlier, and a glimpse of her profile revealed that she had removed her makeup. She was a vision of perfection, and Damon still had trouble believing she was really his.

He put on his shirt then grabbed a drink before sitting in his favorite chair in the library and listening to the sound of Elena undressing over the crackle of the fire. He had just showered himself in anticipation of her visit just in case he got lucky.

Their relationship had been moving slower than a snail's pace, and not just the romantic part of it. After more than a year of wanting her, needing her, and not being able to have her, he figured he could wait just a little bit longer. He was so close he could taste it, and he knew once he ate that first bite he'd be hooked. There would be no going back after that; she would be his and he would be hers, forever.

They had already blood shared, which made her as good as his physically and to any other vampire, but he didn't want just that. He wanted her heart too. He loved her so god damn much that he'd do whatever it took to make her happy. Hell, her happiness was his happiness. It was as simple as that.

When he heard the water turn on, he heard the familiar squeak that occurred with his shower, and for some reason, he found it surprising that she'd chosen his bathroom. It made the most sense, he supposed, and Stefan's bathroom would have just been disturbing. Any of the guest bathrooms would have been just fine, but no, she chose his room, and his bathroom, and that made an involuntary smile tug at his lips.

He went down to the basement and grabbed a blood bag then threw it in the microwave in the kitchen. He was going to make tonight perfect for her, because she deserved it. After all the shit she's had to endure, she earned a night of relaxation.

He dumped a healthy amount of the red liquid into one of the good wine glasses before pouring the rest into another. He purposely gave himself less, both because she had asked for blood earlier and because he planned on topping his glass off with some alcohol. He found that vodka worked best to mix with blood, since the flavor wasn't too strong and wasn't really meant to be enjoyed on its own. It was kind of like a bloody Mary, with actual blood.

When the glasses were even he headed towards the stairs, a skip in his step and a smile on his face. He had a beautiful naked woman in his bathroom, and he had every intention of spoiling her rotten until the day he died.

He just wasn't expecting the glimpse of said naked woman as he made to go in his room. She had left the door cracked open, and it gave him a perfect view right into the bathroom. She was already out of the shower, drying off her body, but he saw enough to get his blood pumping south.

Suddenly their eyes connected out of sheer coincidence, and she screeched something unintelligible at him while he laughed. Quickly wrapping the towel around her body, she glared at him as he strode into the room. He set the two glasses down on the nightstand then moved into the bathroom, amused as she backed away from him.

"Elena." He said, his hands on his hips. "Come here." She pouted up at him, but obeyed, and slowly approached him. He pulled her flush against him and dropped his head to capture her lips in a kiss. When they separated, he smiled down at her red cheeks and said, "I love it when you blush. It starts on your cheeks, then spreads down your neck and to your chest…I wonder if it goes lower." She blushed even harder and closed her eyes, making him chuckle. He ran a hand up and down her back through the towel, saying, "I'm just kidding, Elena. While I certainly won't argue if you choose to forgo pajamas tonight, if you'd rather wear something then you should get dressed. I've got dinner ready for you."

Still slightly mortified, Elena gave a little huff then said, "Go back to your room and don't you dare look!"

He couldn't help but laugh at her embarrassment. As old as he was, he had no shame left for nakedness, so as she found a corner to hide where he couldn't see her he dropped his pants, stripped his shirt, and climbed into bed, propping up the pillows behind him so he could lean comfortably against the headboard. He couldn't wait to see Elena's reaction when she found out he was naked. Pushing her buttons was almost as fun as grating on his little brother's nerves.

His eyes just about fell out of his head when he saw the get up she had on as she sauntered into his room. From that damn sexy smirk on her face, she knew the effect she had on him too.

Dressed in only one of his black button downs, he was left to wonder what was on underneath, if anything. God, that thought had him reigning in his desire before it got out of hand.

"Cute pj's." He said, almost instantly realizing his mistake.

Elena's smirk fell and she raised a brow, "We never did talk about that."

He sighed, handing her the glass of blood as she hopped into bed a few feet away from him, "What's to talk about?"

"How about why you compelled me in the first place. Don't you think I deserved to remember the first time I heard you tell me you love me?" There was no anger in her tone, because she really didn't feel angry about it. Hurt, maybe, and cheated, but not angry. How could she be mad when she could clearly remember how much it hurt him to make her forget? He wasn't doing either of them any favors.

He sighed, intent on getting this conversation over with as soon as possible, "Yes, I know you deserved to remember it. Like I said, I wish I didn't have to make you forget. But you were happy with my brother, Elena, and I couldn't ruin that. I didn't want to confuse you or bog you down with my problems on top of everything else. Now can we please move on from this conversation?"

Elena resisted an eye roll and pushed right ahead, "You know what I think? You were scared of rejection."

He ground his teeth together, realizing that she wasn't going to let this go. "Who isn't? I don't see how that's relevant, and—"

"It's relevant because I don't think you know how much of an effect you had on me back then too." She confessed quietly, interrupting his irritated response.

He narrowed his eyes at her and with a tone that dared her to tread too heavily asked, "Are you telling me that if I had let you remember that you would have dropped my brother and come to me?"

"Well, no, but—"

"But nothing." He shrugged, trying to salvage his good mood for her sake. "That's all there is to it. We're here now, and that's what matters, so do you think you can let it go and forgive me?"

She smiled slightly and agreed, "Okay. Just don't do it again."

It wasn't until after she said it that she realized the ridiculousness of her statement. She giggled as Damon laughed, "Never."

She took her first sip of the blood then cringed, "What's in this?"

Frowning, he realized that he had handed her the glass with vodka in it. "Oops. That's mine." He switched their glasses and ignored her raised brows. When she still wouldn't give up her glare, he flashed her his eyes and wiggled his brows as he took a drink.

Rolling her eyes, she slipped beneath the covers with him and looked for the remote to the large flat screen that hung from the wall across from the bed. She spotted it on his nightstand, so without a second thought, she crawled over his lap to grab it. Damon froze as her ass stuck up practically in his face. The little minx just couldn't resist tempting him, but little did she know, he didn't do well with teasing.

He glanced once more at her face to make sure she was doing it on purpose, and when he saw the smirk playing at her lips, he gave in. His hand connected with her ass, pushing her flat against his lap while she gasped in surprise. Leisurely sipping on his blood, he groped her soft flesh through his shirt and smirked to himself. He was always more of an ass man, and this girl had a hell of an ass.

"Damon…" Elena said in a warning, unsure if she wanted more or less. Well, that wasn't true, she knew she wanted more. It was just a matter of whether they were ready or not. Though with him playing with her ass, she had a hard time convincing herself that they weren't ready. Sure, her emotions could be a little unstable, but her love for Damon wasn't. And wasn't that what mattered the most?

"Leaving the door open so I saw you naked was strike one, Elena. Wearing my shirt, strike two. Wiggling your ass in my face…well, I think you get the picture." He smoothed his hand down over the round curve of her backside and down to her thighs, feeling her soft skin warm his cool hands.

Elena stayed perfectly still, not wanting to move in a way that would make him stop. There was something about him, about the pure sex that he exudes, that made her want to explore that side of him. Seeing the way a man with more sexual experiences than a hundred men combined came apart when he looked at her was the ultimate turn on.

Damon slowly slid his hand beneath his shirt, his fingers lingering on the back of her thighs just in case she changed her mind. When she made no objections, he pushed his shirt up just enough to sneak a peak. He wasn't sure if he was excited or disappointed to see her wearing panties. On one hand, they were black and lacy, but on the other, they were covering what he really wanted.

"I don't remember these panties being in your drawer." He commented, covering her again with his shirt.

At his lack of touching, she moved so she was kneeling next to him and shrugged innocently, "I may or may not have a secret stash of all the racier things ever since you decided it was appropriate to look through my underwear. I couldn't have you seeing just how…scandalous I could be."

Through clenched teeth and narrowed eyes, he managed, "That was your last freebie before I snap, and you know I'll do it. Now pick something to watch or push me again and see what happens."

She bit her lower lip and grinned, then flipped on the TV to begin searching through channels. Damon gulped down every last drop of his drink, needing the alcohol more than ever. Elena settled on some chick flick he was sure he'd never even heard of as she snuggled into his side, curling her arm around his body and laying her head against his chest. He had shifted down slightly so they weren't sitting, but they weren't lying flat either.

As he forced himself to endure the awful movie, the only thing preventing him from demanding that Elena change the channel was the feeling of her tight little body against his. It was all he could think about, all he could feel, as his fingertips traced up and down her waist and hip. Grazing her outer thigh, his fingers danced beneath his shirt on her and slowly moved up until he reached the waistband on her underwear.

Elena tried to focus on the movie, she really did, but with Damon touching her in places he's never touched her before that was nearly impossible. Unconsciously, she began drawing circles on his stomach with the tip of her middle finger, swirling patterns around his belly button and teasing the dark happy trail that led below the sheets.

She felt Damon's fingers lift the waistband of her panties away from her skin so he could slide his hand beneath them, placing his palm flat against her hip. She would never admit it to him, but she had bought this set of lingerie with him in mind the last time Caroline took her shopping. She just knew that he would love the black lace.

Her rapidly beating heart calmed once she realized that he wasn't going to touch her any further than her bare hip. Or at least for now. Soon she was yawning, and Damon was shutting off the TV. When he leaned over to shut off the light, Elena's eyes followed the sheet as it slipped even lower and she gasped when she saw his bare ass.

"Are you naked!?" When he turned to face her in the dark, he had the widest shit-eating grin she'd ever seen plastered on his face. "Seriously!? You let me get this close to you while you were naked and I didn't even know!?"

He rolled his eyes as he repositioned the pillows so they could lay down, "Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, it's not like you've never seen me naked. Hell, if I remember correctly, you did a whole lot more than see me naked."

Elena's cheeks flamed at the memory. She still couldn't believe she had gotten so caught up in the moment that she gave him a blowjob without a second thought. She threw herself into the mountain of fluffy pillows, hiding her face from his amusement. Damon chuckled and rubbed his hand up and down her back, "You're adorable, you know that?"

She turned her head only to scowl at him, but all she could think about was his nakedness. He probably slept naked every night, which led her to wonder if the sheets they were lying in had been touched by his…nakedness before. And now when she instinctively wanted to cuddle with him, she knew she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep. No matter what position they chose, she would only be mere inches from touching him.

He motioned for her to come into his arms, and she sighed, climbing over him to turn the light back on. However, he took full advantage of her movement and tugged her down on top of him as she made to return to the bed. Her legs fell on either side of his hips and she swallowed thickly, trying to think of anything but how close their lower bodies were.

"Elena, come down here." He gently demanded, seeing her sitting straight as a board. She shook her head, wishing he would release her hips so she could move before she lost control. Seeing her resistance, he grabbed her forearms and lightly pulled so she had no choice but to lay down on top of him. He cupped her face in his hands and said, "Would you just relax? I'm not going to stick it in you when you're sleeping, for Christ's sake."

She laughed softly at his choice of words and buried her face in his neck, pressing kisses against his pulse point, "I know. Sorry."

"But you do want it in you at some point, right?" He asked, only half kidding.

Blushing furiously, she quietly admitted, "Yes…"

Grinning from ear at her shyness, he waggled his brows, "Then why don't we get started on that right now?"

She pinned him with a look, "We're supposed to be taking this slow, remember? Not only that, but Stefan is right down the hall, and I really don't want to rub it in his face. I wish I didn't have to hurt him, but I just don't feel the same things for him anymore, you know?"

"Well I'd hope not, or else this position we're in would be extremely awkward."

"Yes it would." She teased. "Now could you please put some pants on?"

"No." He answered instantly, reaching over to turn the light back off. "Now go to sleep."

Huffing, Elena decided that as long as she couldn't see or feel anything, she would manage. She slid from on top of him to his side, using his chest as a pillow, and closed her eyes. She was surprised by how quickly Damon's soothing touches put her to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

So here's THE chapter you've all probably been waiting for :)

* * *

The next morning, Elena was woken up to the feeling of a heavy weight on top of her and dozens of slow, wet kisses trailing from her neck to her chest. Her eyes fluttered open, and the sight of Damon nipping and sucking at the sliver of skin exposed by the button down had to be the best sight she'd ever seen.

Smiling sleepily, she ran her hands through his hair in encouragement and allowed him to flick open a couple more buttons so he could reveal her skin down to just above her belly button. Damon's hot, open-mouthed kisses dipped lower and lower until his face was nestled between her breasts. She hummed in approval and he moved his hands up to gently squeeze the soft mounds, embedding his face further between them.

She bit back a laugh but the shake of her chest already caught Damon's attention. He looked up at her, seeing her beautiful smile, and from his position between her breasts he winked at her. This time she let out an audible giggle as he pushed the last buttons through the holes. He peeled the shirt away from her lithe body and reared back on his knees to truly take her in. Unfortunately, his inspection of her half naked form didn't last long when she squealed his name and covered her eyes because the sheet had dropped from around his body, leaving his half-hard erection on full display.

He chuckled, "Still with the shyness?" She whined some sort of moaning sound, and Damon teased, "Come on, baby, it's not going to bite…not like I will, anyway…"

Feeling him crawl on top of her, she peeked through her fingers until she was sure she wouldn't see him, and then she pouted, "It's one thing to see it when we're actually going to do something, but just so casually? It's weird…"

Damon frowned at the genuine discomfort in her tone about being around a naked man. He just kept learning new things about her, things he had every intention of changing all in due time. "Then how about we make it…not weird?" He smirked, dropping his mouth to kiss her neck.

"What did you have in mind?" She grinned, her eyes drifting shut at his gentle ministrations.

"A little of this…" He sucked at her throat for a few moments, surely creating marks that disappeared instantly on her fast-healing skin. "Maybe some of this…" He nipped at the curves of her breasts, daring to sneak his tongue behind the cup of her bra. "Even a little of this…" He slowly and carefully spread her legs, settling his body between them while skimming his fingers up the inside of her thighs.

He could smell her arousal and he was dying to have just one taste if she'd let him. After all, she already had a taste of him. It was only fair.

Her breathing ragged, Elena breathed, "That definitely seems to be helping…"

He licked his way down her stomach, swirling his tongue around her belly button as her stomach quivered, and when she showed no signs of hesitation, he slid himself down between her legs. Elena couldn't focus on anything other than her love and desire for the man that wanted nothing more than to worship her. How could she with someone like that?

She could feel his hot breath blowing against her most intimate area even through the thin silk of her panties that were dripping wet with her own arousal. Damon didn't have the patience to wait until her panties were off to have a taste, nor did he want to freak her out by moving too fast. He pressed his nose against the wet fabric, rubbing against her clit and making her squirm while he inhaled deeply.

Her scent awakened some dark part of him that craved her in a way he'd never felt. His inner demon called out to him, taking control, needing to make her his. He closed his lips over her damp panties, sucking them into his mouth while rubbing her folds with his tongue.

Nothing on this earth could have prepared him for the decadence of her taste. It made him growl like the animal he was before tearing her panties down her legs so she could kick the offending article as far away as possible. Damon instantly had his face buried between her legs, licking, sucking, lapping, flicking, and nipping. He moaned into her wetness as she twisted his hair around her fingers, arching her back off of the bed and bucking her hips into his mouth.

He took her clit between his teeth and she cried out, pushing his mouth even closer. He teased her dripping wet entrance with his finger, smirking as she bucked her hips to try to get him inside. As he slowly inserted his finger and felt her tight muscles clench around it, he groaned aloud at how tight she was.

Elena panted as he built her up, and right when she reached the edge he tipped her over with a strategic flick of his tongue against her sensitive bud. She moaned his name and threw her head back into the pillow, her hips moving wildly as she rode out the waves of pleasure.

Damon was drunk on her taste, licking up every last drop she had to give him before cleaning his finger with his mouth so not to waste any. She made him feel so out of control, yet completely in control at the same time. She tested his patience at every turn, knowing full well that he was going to snap. He had a feeling that that was what she wanted all along. She wanted him to snap and give in to his wildest fantasies of ravaging her body until she couldn't take it anymore.

Utterly spent, Elena's hands rested limply on his shoulders as he moved up her body to kiss her lips. She returned the kiss with just as much need as he felt, and then he heard her moan, "More, Damon."

If that wasn't a green light to go right ahead and slide home, he didn't know what was. He flipped them over so she was on top, and he quickly removed her shirt and bra. Her breasts were just as perfect as the rest of her was, two perfect round handfuls with dark pink nipples that tasted like cherries and vanilla. With her in his lap, he dragged his mouth up her chest to capture her lips once again in a hungry kiss.

She wrapped her hand around his hardness and stroked him slowly, squeezing just enough to make him shake. He dropped his forehead to her shoulder as she worked him over, no shyness about it this time.

He grabbed her hand not a moment later and flashed her beneath him once again. His mouth devoured hers in a kiss of raw passion. He pinned her hands above her head, their fingers interlocked, as he consumed her in every way he could.

She felt feverish with need, so much so that she decided to completely disregard this whole 'waiting' thing she wanted to do. What was the point? She wanted to be with Damon, he wanted to be with her, and they both wanted that now more than anything.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her heels into his ass, urging him closer to where she needed him the most. His stiffness pressed against the inside of her thigh as he panted into their kiss, "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Damon."

He answered with a growl, and untangled his hand from hers to line himself up at her dripping entrance. He pushed in slowly, feeling her tight heat squeeze his sizable length. It was almost too much; she felt like heaven in a woman, and as he watched her reaction to taking his cock, he just about lost it. Her eyes were wide and locked onto his. Her mouth was hanging open in a silent scream. Her back arched off the bed as small whimpers escaped her plump, pink lips.

He would never forget that image.

Elena groaned when he thrust in the rest of the way and stilled to allow her to adjust. She wasn't a virgin by any means, but he wasn't exactly small. Damon bent down to suck one of her nipples into his mouth, laving his tongue over the hardened peak while she threaded her fingers into his hair. When he felt her wiggle her hips, he reared back and thrust inside of her. He started a slow pace at first, letting her get used to it before speeding up.

Pretty soon she was moaning and gasping, "Harder, Damon!"

He placed his hands on the backs of her thighs and pressed them up towards her chest, opening her even further for him. His hips hammered into hers while she clawed him closer, her nails digging into his back as the sweat built between them. He was infinitely glad that he didn't have to go easy on her now that she was a vampire, and damn, did he not have a single ounce of mercy for her body.

Elena had never felt so desperate for an orgasm. He just kept bringing her body closer and closer, pounding into her unrelentingly until she was sure she'd be covered in bruises had she been human. He never pushed her over the edge though, always letting her fall back down by changing the angle and building her up all over again.

It was maddening. She felt tight with pent up sexual frustration, and every time he wouldn't let her come she would growl with that much more annoyance. Damon knew exactly what he was doing, and he was doing it because he wanted her to remember this for the rest of her life. He was going to make her come harder than she ever had before, making her first time having sex as a vampire just that much more memorable. By the time he was finished with her, she wasn't going to ever want anyone else.

And when she did finally fall apart, she didn't just fall.

She shattered.

Pleasure unlike anything she'd ever experienced lit her body on fire. Every sensation was amplified as she cried out and the pure ecstasy rolled through her. There was no world outside of Damon anymore. She dragged her nails down his back and the scent of blood filled the air, causing her fangs to drop down.

Damon grunted at the sight and spilled inside of her as her tight walls squeezed him into his release. He gasped for breath as their foreheads touched, her soft moans from the few lingering tremors mingling with his.

Their morning together was well spent, to say the least, and it continued into the shower before Elena had to leave for school. They stumbled down the stairs together, barely breaking their mouths away from each other for more than a few seconds as Damon led her to the door. She drove herself there last night, so she was driving herself to school.

"Mm, Damon, I have to go!" She giggled as his mouth muffled half of her words.

"Ugh, who needs high school anyways?" He countered, holding her to him by her scarf.

"Eighteen year old girls, Damon. That's who. I may be a vampire now, but I'd still like to graduate." When she pulled away, he pouted adorably and she rolled her eyes. "I'll see you later?"

Damon grimaced slightly, "Mm, probably not. Since Stefan screwed the pooch with your brother and we can't find another Hunter to kill Silas, I figured that we might as well see this thing through. He's already unable to be around any vampires, which are half the people he knows."

"So what are you going to do?" She asked curiously, concern spiking over her brother.

"I was thinking of taking him out to your family's lake house. Out there we'll be alone and I can teach him how to fight and kill vampires." He said.

She narrowed her eyes, "What vampires will he kill to complete the mark?"

Damon hesitated, "Well…that's the problem. I'm going to have to turn people."

"No." She said instantly. "You can't just go killing innocent people for the sake of my brother's humanity!"

"He needs to kill vampires, Elena, how else is he going to complete the mark?"

She was shaking her head as she tried to come up with something else. If killing vampires made Jeremy lose himself even more, she would refuse to let that happen. While she agreed that they needed to kill Silas to get him back to normal, she wasn't sure how she was going to handle the process of getting him there. She couldn't even be around him without him driving the nearest piece of wood into her body. How could she let him go around killing innocent people that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time only to make his vampire bloodlust worse?

And then it hit her.

"The white oak stake. What if he killed another Original? All of the vampires in their blood line would die too! He could complete the mark and only physically have to kill one vampire that's far from innocent and already turned."

Damon blanched at the idea. It was a damn good one, but the only problem was actually getting Jeremy to be able to kill an Original. They were still alive after all this time for a reason. He had the stake safely stowed away where nobody would ever find it, so at least they didn't have to worry about that.

"I'd still need to take Jeremy to the lake house to train him. No way is he just going to spontaneously be able to kill an Original." Damon pointed out.

She nodded, "Fine. It's probably a good idea for him to know how to defend himself anyways."

"Yeah, there's just the small issue of convincing him not to kill me while we're out there. Any ideas on that one, beautiful?"

Elena sighed, "I can talk to Bonnie. See what she has to say. In the mean time, please be careful around him. If you take him to the lake house today bring Matt. He can keep an eye on Jeremy."

"Ugh, you want me to bring Donovan? What's he going to do, teach him how to throw a football and wash dishes?"

Elena chided him, "Be nice." She reached up on her tip toes to kiss him then said, "I'm going to school. Call me later?"

"Will do." He smiled happily.

She opened the door only to come face to face with Stefan. Her smile instantly fell as awkwardness settled in the air. She cleared her throat, "Hi, Stefan."

He smiled tightly, "Hey."

She sent one last look over her shoulder at Damon, who looked just as uncomfortable as she did, then stepped around Stefan and left.

Damon retreated into the house to grab a drink once Elena was gone. He was fully expecting the Spanish Inquisition from his brother, and he was going to need a drink for it.

"Alright, let's get this over with." He said, settling into his favorite chair and sipping his bourbon.

"You smell like her." Stefan stated.

And there it was. Damon narrowed his eyes, "If you have something to say then say it."

He shook his head, "I don't have anything to say."

Bullshit and they both knew it, but Stefan kept his mouth shut and Damon was all too willing to go along with it. After all, he just slept with his brother's ex-girlfriend. Brotherly bonding wasn't at the top of his to do list.

"Right." Damon deadpanned. "Well since you're the one that got us into the royally fucked situation with Jeremy, you're going to help me get him out of it."

* * *

Once Elena went back to school, she was reminded of how much she didn't miss it. Annoying teachers that bitched her out for being late and missing class so much. Mountains of homework and makeup work that won't do anything but add stress to her already hectic life. The hushed whispers from her classmates that they thought she couldn't hear.

Yeah, it was a real party today.

But luckily she had Caroline and Bonnie to help her through it, and all of their problems were forgotten the second they realized Elena was under the metaphorical microscope. They all wondered why she was always missing school. There were rumors about her being sick, or being a felon, and she even heard someone talking about how she 'put Stefan in the hospital because he broke up with her.'

Absolutely ridiculous, but she ignored everything. She was in a good mood from this morning's events, and nothing was going to ruin that. Giving herself to Damon was even better than she imagined in her wildest dreams, which was hard to trump. She had never been more sure of her emotions.

She was in love with him, and nothing was going to change that.

Now, she just had to figure out how to tell him, or even when to tell him.

During lunch, the three girls snuck away behind an old shed that was used to store sports equipment so Caroline and Elena could drink their blood bags openly. Bonnie settled for a sandwich, though.

"You know what we haven't done in forever?" Caroline asked. "A girl's night. We've all been so preoccupied by problems lately…we should do one again soon."

"Even though you're both kind of mad at me?" Elena asked shyly.

They both looked at her incredulously and Bonnie said, "I'm not mad at you, I'm just trying to get used to you being a vampire. You'll be my best friend no matter what, Elena."

Caroline added, "Yeah. We both love you, but sometimes your decisions seriously suck. Need I remind you of all the times you trusted Elijah and he stabbed you in the back?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed a little, "Fair enough. But I just want to make one thing clear. Damon and I aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I know neither of you like him, but I do, and he's really been there for me through my transition when no one else has. I know it doesn't seem like what he's doing is helping, but it's my life, and I trust him to be responsible."

Caroline stayed silent on the topic, and Elena was almost relieved that she wasn't going to have to argue about Damon with her. Bonnie said, "I may never approve of some of the things that you do, but I know I have to accept that they're going to happen. You're a vampire, and while I trust you not to hurt anyone on purpose, I won't be naïve enough to think that you're going to become a saint and never hurt a soul. While Damon wouldn't be my first choice, if he's your choice, then I support you."

Elena smiled and pulled the two of them into a hug, "Then on that note, I call a girl's night at the boarding house tonight. Tomorrow is Saturday, so we can raid the wine cellar and drink until our hearts give out without worrying about missing more school."

"The Salvatore's aren't going to crash it, are they?" Caroline said lightly.

Elena chuckled, "No, they're taking Jeremy to the lake house to work with him on completing the Hunter's Mark. We will have the house to ourselves."

"In that case, I'm in." Caroline grinned deviously. "Bon?"

"Getting drunk off of the most expensive wine we can find? Hell yes I'm in!"

Elena beamed, "Meet me there around seven?"

"I'll bring the junk food!" Caroline chirped.

"And I can handle the beauty supplies. Mani-pedi's and face masks?" Bonnie offered.

"Perfect." Elena agreed. The bell rang in the distance for a five minute warning and the girls gathered their things and prepared for their next class. It was history, which was the class Elena was least prepared to go to.

Since Alaric was no longer there, all of his students were broken up into other history classes, so at least she didn't have to go in his classroom.

After school, Bonnie explained that she might be a little late because she was going to talk to Professor Shane about something that could be done for Jeremy. Elena returned to the boarding house and decided that she might as well start the piles of homework she had while she waited.

When it neared six thirty, Elena called it quits and headed downstairs to the wine cellar. She didn't know a thing about wine, except for where Damon kept the expensive stuff. He was the alcohol connoisseur of the two brothers where Stefan just drank whatever was around.

She grabbed three bottles, figuring one for each of them, then went back to the parlor and found her iPod in the bottom of her purse. She plugged it in to the stereo dock for later, and Caroline waltzed inside without even knocking fifteen minutes early. Her arms were filled with bags of candy, chips, popcorn, and blood bags. They had to leave some food for Damon, after all, since he's the one that gets all of the blood.

Caroline turned on the flat screen TV and switched it to The Bachelorette, one of their guilty pleasures. What could be better than watching a bunch of sexy guys try to win over a girl?

Just as they tore open the bag of chocolate, Bonnie came strolling in with all of her supplies.

"What did I miss?" She asked, setting all of her stuff down on the coffee table.

"We were just getting started." Caroline told her, reaching for the box of nail polish. "Now, who do I have to strap down first?"

It was a well known fact that when Caroline did manicures, she kind of went overboard. She ended up putting so many little details on the design that it took hours to finish, not including the time it takes to dry.

Bonnie took one for the team, "Fine, I'll let you do mine. But so help me if you start painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on my toes…"

"I promise I'll be good!" Caroline giggled.

While she painted Bonnie's fingernails, Elena started on her toes while they all hung around and stuffed their faces with the unhealthy snacks and listened to the TV show.

Bonnie complained, "Have I ever mentioned how unfair it is that neither of you will gain a pound from all of this candy? I'm going to have to run a marathon!"

"Vampirism does have its perks." Caroline smirked, popping a cheddar flavored chip into her mouth.

"Amen to that!" Elena toasted her with a chocolate truffle. The three of them laughed and when Elena finished her toes, she hobbled into the kitchen to grab three wine glasses to start on the bottles. She held up the three bottles to the girls and said, "So as far as wine goes, we have old, really old, and Damon old. Which one shall it be?"

They both giggled at her joke and agreed on the Damon old bottle. They settled back into the couch, sipping their glasses while gossiping about all of the latest drama at school and even indulging in celebrity scoops. They avoided talking about all the problems revolving around their lives, namely the Salvatores, and stuck to more neutral topics.

Elena prodded, "So Caroline, what the hell is going on with you and Tyler? First I hear that he's cheating on you and then your date to the pageant was Klaus?"

She groaned, "Why do you have to say it like that? I only went with Klaus because I had to if we wanted to trick him into thinking Tyler and I weren't together. He didn't cheat on me, but this girl, Hayley, is one of his wolf friends. Klaus got the idea that he had cheated on me with her, when really, Tyler and Hayley are helping Klaus's hybrids break the sire bond. But he can't know that, or else he would go nuts, so if he thinks that Hayley is here for Tyler, then he'll never find out what they're doing."

"Wait, so his hybrids aren't sired to him anymore?" Bonnie asked.

Caroline grinned, "Nope. Well, a few still are, but the rest are all just pretending. We're waiting for the right time for them to leave and finally escape him."

"So then you and Tyler are still okay?" Elena questioned.

She nodded, "We're fine. I mean, the whole situation of pretending we're not together hasn't been easy, especially when his date to the pageant was Hayley and my date was Klaus…but we're making it work."

"So this Hayley bitch really doesn't feel anything for him?" Elena asked knowingly.

The blonde sighed, "Not exactly…but I trust Tyler. I do. He's told me over and over that he just thinks of her as a friend, and I believe him. I can tell she likes him as more, but we're in love. She just has a crush. We're going to be fine."

"Well let me know if you need me to burst some werewolf brains." Bonnie quipped. Both Elena and Caroline looked at her in shock at the hint that she would practice magic again. Bonnie smirked, "Yeah, I've been practicing again. Shane is helping with it."

"Oh, so it's just Shane now?" Elena teased.

Bonnie looked away shyly then admitted, "Everybody calls him Shane. It's no big deal."

Caroline looked at her incredulously, "You're so banging the cute professor!"

"Am not!" Bonnie defended. "His level of attractiveness has nothing to do with what he's been teaching me."

"I bet he's been teaching you a lot." Caroline smirked, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.

Her and Elena giggled while Bonnie blushed, "I'm not sleeping with him!"

"Never said you were." Elena shrugged innocently.

"Okay, we're done talking about him!" Bonnie declared, downing the rest of her wine.

Caroline muttered to Elena, "Get the rest of that wine in her and she'll be an open book."

They laughed at Bonnie's glare and then changed the subject to the next random topic. They lounged around like that for a while, until they were four episodes deep and getting pretty drunk off their asses. Elena and Caroline had to go downstairs to get more wine after they finished their bottles since their tolerance was so much higher than Bonnie's.

Elena switched on the stereo and turned up the volume until the pop music could be heard through every room of the mansion. The three girls danced through the entire house, laughing hysterically while hugging each other and singing along to every song that blared through the speakers.

If felt good to let go of all of their problems for just one night and pretend they were still sophomores without a care in the world. Now they were seniors with the weight of the world resting on their shoulders.

When they got bored with dancing, they settled back into the parlor to watch a cheesy rom-com. The wine was flowing, as well as their thoughts.

Caroline began, "So…no judgment, but what is the deal with you and Damon? You just left Stefan for him? I mean, come on, Stefan was perfect for you!" Elena raised a brow at her and she quickly amended, "Sorry, no judgment."

Elena sighed, "It's…complicated. Stefan and I are over. What we had was great, but…I just don't feel the same way about him anymore. I don't love him like that anymore."

"And Damon…" Caroline prompted, and Elena couldn't help but smile at the thought of him.

"Never once has he pressured me into this whole vampire thing or judged me for it. That's what tells me that I made the right choice in going to him that night we thought everyone was going to die. I gave up my life for him, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had to."

"You're in love with him." Bonnie stated.

She nodded, "I am."

"What changed?" Caroline asked.

Elena shrugged, "I did. I grew up. I fell out of love with Stefan at some point and I just knew that he wouldn't be enough for me anymore. We hurt each other so much in the past, there was no going back. I outgrew him just like I outgrew being the sad girl who lost her parents. I will always love him as a friend, but I can't see myself being with him ever again."

As Caroline seemed to accept her explanation, Bonnie smiled reluctantly, "Look, you know that I don't like Damon and I probably never will. But when he's around you, he's different. Everyone can see it. I know you're good for him, and honestly? I think he's good for you too, as much as I don't want to admit it."

"How could he be good for her!?" Caroline scoffed. "He's completely reckless, destroys everything he touches, has no regard for other people's emotions—" She cut herself off at the glare that both Elena and Bonnie sent her. "Sorry. No judgment."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and continued, "He's good for her because he loves her. When it comes down to it, he always does whatever it takes to protect Elena. And Caroline, did you even see her face when we brought up Damon? It was like the star on top of a Christmas tree. Obviously he makes her happy."

Elena beamed at her best friend and mouthed a thank you to her. She smiled in return.

It felt like they were all finally working out their issues with each other, and Elena was grateful. She still needed them in her life, and she always would. They had gone through hell and back together, dealing with boys, vampires, dying, hybrids, werewolves, sacrifices, killing, and just about anything else you could imagine. If they were still friends after all of that, then they always would be friends.


	11. Chapter 11

There were many things that Elena used to look forward to around Christmas time. Baking cookies, decorating a tree, the first snowfall of winter, drinking hot chocolate on cold nights…

Driving to her family's lake house in a confined space with her ex boyfriend and current boyfriend wasn't one of them. Then to make matters worse, her brother that wanted to kill all of them was waiting for her just inside the home that held so many fond memories of vacations with her parents.

The entire hour long drive was spent in complete silence except for the radio. Elena didn't dare to say a word and disturb the delicate balance of the brothers' relationship when a huge part of the rift between them was her. She didn't know how Stefan was handling it, and frankly, she didn't want to. It was no longer her place to ask him about personal things like that, especially when she was 'fucking his brother and acting like Katherine' as he called it earlier in a bout of rage.

That pretty much told her all she needed to know about how he was doing. What she didn't tell him was that she had months to grieve their relationship and accept that they were never going to happen again while he clung to some foolish hope that after everything he had done to her she could still be with him.

That would have made her the bitch, and she understood that he was hurt and needed time to move on. So she would be the bigger person and keep her mouth shut, unless he started attacking Damon for her decision. That was where she'd draw the line, because it wasn't Damon's fault that she fell out of love with Stefan.

Stefan was just lucky that Damon hadn't been around when he said that, or else he'd likely be worse for the wear with a stake somewhere in his body.

Once Elena finally stepped out of the car, she felt like she could breathe again. Not that she really needed to, but at least if she did she wouldn't suffocate from the tension.

Instead of slipping her hand into Damon's like she wanted, she refrained for Stefan's sake as the three of them walked towards the house. Bonnie's car was already there, meaning she and Professor Shane were both inside with Matt and Jeremy.

Stefan went inside first to announce their arrival while Damon stayed on the porch with Elena since she had to be invited in. Considering Jeremy had to be the one to do it, that was actually asking a lot. She listened as Stefan spoke to the three of them, wrapping her jacket tighter around her body.

She grumbled to Damon, "I'm a vampire, why do I still get cold?"

He smirked, "Because it's twenty degrees out and anything would get cold."

"Yeah, but I'm dead." She pointed out. "How does a dead thing get cold?"

He snorted and threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace, "Like I said before, your body functions pretty normally as a vampire as long as you drink enough blood. You won't notice too many differences."

She smiled as he kissed her forehead, but they separated when the front door opened. Elena was instantly more serious as she saw Jeremy standing a few yards behind Bonnie who answered the door. He was just staring at her with a blank expression, and Elena couldn't tell if that was good or bad.

"Hi, Jer…" She said hesitantly. When he made no move to do or say anything, she continued, "I'm a vampire now. You have to invite me in."

He looked between her and Bonnie, then Shane stepped forward and said, "Invite her in, Jeremy. She won't hurt you."

Eventually, he nodded, "Come in."

Elena smiled as she stepped over the threshold and approached him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Thank you."

He managed a small smile and she moved towards the living room, but felt him move behind her. She reacted just in time to catch his hand as he held a stake aimed at her and she wrapped him in a headlock. Everyone stared in shock until Damon stepped in and took the stake from him.

"Hey geniuses, did you ever think that having a bunch of stakes lying around with a vampire hunter in the room wasn't such a great idea?"

There were a few eye rolls, and Bonnie changed the subject. "Why don't we go sit down and get started?"

Elena slowly released Jeremy and Bonnie led him to one of the chairs while everyone else followed. Elena sat down on the loveseat with Damon and Matt, Stefan, and Shane took the couch. Bonnie sat next to Jeremy in the other chair.

The plan to stop Jeremy from attacking any vampire he sees was simple. He would use Bonnie as some kind of intermediary step when his instincts fought to take over. She would essentially act as his common sense, allowing him to hold on to his humanity. He would be able to think before he just started trying to kill every vampire, meaning he wouldn't try to kill all of their friends.

Professor Shane, as much as everybody aside from Bonnie didn't trust him, insisted that it would be easier for Jeremy to get used to using Bonnie without a bunch of vampires in the room.

So Elena found herself wrapped up in a blanket straddling a bench out on the boat dock. Not even that long ago she was there with Stefan trying to learn as much as possible about Klaus.

"Hot chocolate?" Damon asked from behind her.

"Thanks." She smiled, taking the hot mug from him. He sat down behind her so she was between his legs. His hands found her hips and she leaned back against his chest as she sipped on her favorite childhood drink. Damon's chin rested on her shoulder and she leaned her head against his. "How's Jeremy doing?"

"Objectively speaking he seems to be grasping the whole thing well. When I made you that hot chocolate he didn't try to the stab me with the arm of a chair."

"And subjectively speaking?" She countered with a small smirk.

"I think Jeremy's a little punk that doesn't know a good thing when he's got it." She glared at him slightly and he smirked, "But, he's a strong kid. If anyone is capable of seeing this Hunter thing through and killing Silas, it's him."

She hummed in agreement then asked, "So what's left for us to do to find Silas?"

Damon groaned then said, "According to Stefan, the map to find where he's buried is encoded in some ancient sword that Klaus was working on getting his hands on. Except I don't trust Klaus, and I'd sooner follow a deranged squirrel that lost some blood to my baby brother to Silas. But once we figure out the location, then Bonnie uses Jeremy's tattoo to cast the spell and he kills him."

"No special weapon required?" Elena questioned.

"Nope." Damon confirmed. "As long as it's Jeremy doing the killing, Silas will die and the Hunters will be free of the curse."

"You make it sound so easy." Elena mused. "It's not going to be though, is it?"

He sighed, "With Klaus snooping around for whatever reason, it's not going to be simple. We have to be prepared for whatever he wants Silas for. Stefan seems convinced that his plans won't interfere with freeing Jeremy, but it's better to be ready for the worst."

"I agree." Elena said. "Klaus has some ulterior motive he's not telling us about."

"Add Professor Shady into the mix and you've got a recipe for disaster."

Elena frowned slightly, "I don't know…Bonnie seems to trust him. Maybe his intentions are pure?"

Damon laughed, "Look at you, little miss optimist. Thinking that people just want to help others for no reason." She rolled her eyes and turned her face away from him. He smirked and playfully nipped her neck, "I love that about you. You always see the good in everyone."

And just like that, he was back in her good graces. She giggled as he nuzzled her neck and squeezed his arms around her waist. He really was just like a giant puppy beneath all of the sarcasm and defenses.

As he continued to cuddle up to her neck, she smirked, "Keep that up and I'll be seeing a lot more than the good in you…"

"Ooh, is somebody eager for a repeat of the other morning?" He teased, making sure there wasn't a single inch of space between his chest and her back as he hugged her to him.

Between all of their lingering issues, they hadn't had much alone time together to explore the more physical part of their relationship, despite their desperate desire to do just that. Damon had been spending all of his time at the lake house with Jeremy to help him, and Elena had been focused on catching up in school. It had been nearly two weeks since that amazing morning they spent together, and to say they were sexually deprived was an understatement. She grinned, "I'm always eager for more of you."

The genuine smile on his face was an expression she was so unaccustomed to see. His body language was almost never indicative of his true emotions, so to see his happiness written so plainly on his face was enough to make her heart melt into a Damon shaped mass of love.

"You should smile like that more." She said, bringing her hand up to touch his face. Her thumb traced the corner of his mouth and the indentation next to it from his smile. He didn't flinch away at her touch or even falter. He just hummed contentedly at her touch. Her gaze moved from his beautiful smile to his breathtakingly blue eyes, "Happy is a good look on you."

"You know what's a good look on you?" He asked.

She smirked, "Naked?"

He blew out a soft laugh, "I was going to say every look, but naked works too."

"Look at you go." She giggled. "Damon Salvatore's charm makes an appearance once again."

"If you think that was charm, then I'd love to see your reaction to meeting me back when charm was all a guy had to get a woman to marry him so he could get into her pants. Or should I say under her skirt…"

"Oh right, I forgot you're ancient." She teased. "Come to think of it, our age difference is actually quite disturbing."

He scoffed, "What are you talking about? I'm twenty four! That's only six years!"

"Twenty four my ass." She grumbled with a small smile.

Damon winked then kiss her cheek as she leaned her full weight back against him and they watched the calm lake in front of them. All of the birds had already flown south, and now they were just waiting for the first snowfall. It was definitely cold enough, that was for sure.

"I think we still have a bunch of Christmas stuff here from when my parents were alive. Maybe we could go through them with Jeremy after he and Bonnie figure this out." Elena said wistfully, recalling all of the holidays they spent as a family right there on the lake. Summers, winters, any time of year; whenever they had the time, they would go there just to get away for a while.

"Any embarrassing baby pictures I can see?"

She lightly rolled her eyes, "I'm sure there are, but you're not seeing any of them until I get to see a baby picture of you."

"No baby pictures of me exist, Elena." He said casually.

If only she believed that.

"So you're telling me that you didn't save a single thing from when you were human? No pictures of you and Stefan? None of your mother?"

His answering silence said all she needed to know. While the air outside was bitter and her nose was turning red, Damon's body heat managed to keep her warm enough. It was then that she realized all he had on for warmth was a leather jacket while she was wrapped in a thick, wool blanket. She unwrapped one side of it and Damon rolled his eyes as she pulled it around him. When it was tightly wound around them both his arms returned to their position around her waist and he had to admit, she felt even warmer now.

He didn't like talking about his mother. Not to anyone, even Stefan. Hell, even when he was human he didn't talk about her after she died. He could still remember the day of her funeral. He was supposed to give the eulogy, but he couldn't bring himself to go only to watch them put his best friend in a hole in the ground. He missed the entire thing, and when he got home, Stefan yelled at him for not being there. He felt like an ass after that. His brother was only ten, yet he had been thinking of himself first. It never crossed his mind that Stefan might need him there; all he could think of was his own grief. And that was only one instance of his selfishness.

It was no wonder why Stefan hated him now.

"Can we not talk about this?" He asked quietly, his face hidden in her neck.

"Sure." She replied, just barely above a whisper. Sometimes Damon needed to be pushed in order for him to grow and see who he can be, but on a subject so close to him, it wasn't her place to push him. She knew next to nothing about the time he spent as a human, and while she hoped that he would share some details as time went on, she didn't want him to talk about it if he was uncomfortable with it.

All of the trees surrounding the lake had lost their leaves long ago and were now a dull brown. The barren landscape was gray and lifeless, and Elena longed for some snow to come along and make everything look magical again.

The sound of quiet footsteps echoing down the docks got their attention, and Professor Shane came walking up to them. Neither of them looked, but they didn't need to in order to know that it was him. Damon was more than ready to attack if need be. He was already eying an axe stuck in a stump by a nearby tree. Chopping off the creep's head would be quite enjoyable.

When Shane was mere feet behind them, Damon spoke up, "Little tip, Professor. I heard you before you even set foot outside."

He blew out a short laugh, "Still don't trust me, Damon?"

Standing up to face him, Damon shrugged, "Sorry. I make it a habit not to trust the orchestrators of mass murders."

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked, shifting in her seat to look at them.

Damon, his eyes never leaving Shane, asked, "Do you want to tell her or should I?" When Shane made no other expression to convey what he was thinking, Damon continued, "Professor Shane here had quite the impressive phone bill last month. He was in touch with Pastor Young quite a few times, weren't you, sketchy? As it just so happens, the last person he contacted before he blew up the council, was, surprise-surprise, Atticus Shane."

Shane shook his head, "I was counseling Pastor Young. What happened was tragic, but he had just lost his wife and was going through a rough time. We had been in contact so frequently because when he needed someone to talk to, I was there."

"Still doesn't explain how a pastor just decided to kill himself and eleven other people out of the blue." Damon pointed out.

Shane shrugged, "Grief is a hell of an emotion. It affects everyone differently, and in this case, it was too much for him."

Damon eyed him carefully then said, "While we're on the topic of grief, what kind of lies are you feeding Bonnie in these 'sessions' you have?"

Elena frowned at the question. While she knew Damon didn't trust him and probably never would, he seemed like an okay guy to her. Bonnie liked him and said that he was helping her with her magic. He seemed like someone they could trust.

Shane smiled tightly, "Bonnie's a lot stronger than you seem to think. Even if I was 'feeding her lies' as you put it, she would see right through them."

"So then tell me this." Damon crossed his arms. "Why do you want to find Silas?"

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Remember what I said about grief? Well, Silas is a powerful immortal. Rumors have surrounded him for centuries about people that have found his location and seen their loved ones that have passed. Some even say that if you sacrifice some of your blood to him, he will bring people back."

Damon resisted outright laughing in his face at the ridiculousness of it all. If there was a way to resurrect someone, he would know about it. Instead he asked, "And you believe that?"

"It's more than belief." He stated confidently. "It's a fact. I know, because I've been there."

Elena and Damon were left speechless at his admission. He had been there before? And he hadn't thought that was important to share? Why were they even making Jeremy kill vampires if they already knew the location!?

Elena narrowed her eyes threateningly, "You've known the location this whole time and you've let my brother go around killing people anyways!?"

Shane quickly explained, "Regardless of me knowing the location or not, his mark still needs to be completed. The spell Bonnie needs to cast to unlock Silas's tomb requires the entire mark."

Elena looked to Damon and they shared a look that screamed Shane could not be trusted. However, they both knew that if he knew the location, they could use him to get there and not have to worry about relying on the sword that Stefan failed to obtain. They mutually, and mentally, agreed that they couldn't let him get anywhere near Silas.

If he was awakened, there was no telling how much more powerful he would become. If, while desiccated, he could make people hallucinate seeing their dead friends and family, then they didn't want to know what would happen when he was lucid and strong.

After Shane left, they heard Bonnie yelling that they were finished from the back deck. Damon took the blanket that he had earlier yanked off of he and Elena and wrapped it up around Elena like a burrito as she giggled. Then he lifted her into his arms bridal style and she had no other choice but to let him as her arms were bound by her sides thanks to the blanket.

He set her down just outside of the door and she deftly unwrapped herself and thrust the blanket at him. He snickered and folded it as they stepped inside.

"So everything worked?" Elena asked, the question directed at Bonnie and Jeremy.

Bonnie turned to look at her ex-boyfriend with a small smile and nodded her head towards Elena. Jeremy smiled sheepishly back at her, and Elena was taken back to the boy he used to be before their parents died. She hadn't seen that smile on him in years. Then he walked towards Elena and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She immediately started tearing up and squeezed her eyes shut as she hugged him back. They hadn't hugged in what felt like just as long.

When they separated, Jeremy assured everyone that he was able to think more clearly and that he wasn't going to be attacking anyone for the hell of it. Everyone stuck around for another hour or two just to make sure he was telling the truth, and when there were no incidents, Professor Shane, Bonnie, and Stefan left.

Matt decided to stick around just in case anything happened, and of course Elena stayed, and by default that meant Damon was staying too. Well, he had another reason to stay which was that now he could start training Jeremy to fight, but the main one was Elena.

Just as Elena had thought, up in the attic there had been a few boxes of holiday decorations and mementos that she and Damon had hauled downstairs while Jeremy and Matt put on some Christmas movies and tended to the fire in the large stone fireplace. Elena and Jeremy sat on the floor sorting through everything while Damon sat on the loveseat with a glass of alcohol he managed to scrounge up and Matt watched from a chair.

Jeremy pulled out a strand of mistletoe and grinned, "Check this out."

Elena laughed, "Jenna used that to make out with Logan Fell."

"And then spilled her eggnog on Mom's stuffed Santa." Jeremy added, showing off the discolored stain on the statue's jacket.

Elena made a face as she found the hideous angel that they stored away, "Ugh, remember this? Mom said that her grandma made it for her and she couldn't bring herself to throw it out."

Jeremy snorted, "Yeah. Never once did we use it."

Still eying the mistletoe, Elena smirked to herself as she picked it up and hid it in her hand. She moved to sit down next to Damon and curled her legs beneath her, propping her elbow up against the back of the couch. While Jeremy and Matt talked about some new movie coming out, Damon said to Elena, "Stefan and I used to love Christmas."

"How did you celebrate back then?" She asked.

"Same way people do now, I'd assume."

"Meaning you haven't properly celebrated the holiday since turning." Elena countered, giving him a knowing look.

He rolled his eyes, "How about we go back to the part where your aunt was a loose drunk even when you were little?"

She lightly slapped his arm, "That was mean. And Jenna kind of even liked you."

"No, if I recall, she thought I was 'ridiculously hot.' Then you responded by telling her that I was an ass."

"And still nothing's changed." She quipped.

He motioned to her hand that hid the mistletoe and smirked, "So what are your plans for that?"

Instead of asking how he knew she had it, she shrugged innocently and lifted it above their heads. "I was thinking a little of this…" She leaned in to kiss him softly. "A little of this…" She kissed his cheek, then dropped her voice to a barely there whisper, "And maybe even a little of this…" She lengthened her fangs with her face buried in his neck so he couldn't see and nicked his vein, smirking as he gasped. She licked up the few drops of blood that tingled her taste buds until the wound closed.

He breathed, "Cut it out right now unless you want me to throw you over my shoulder and carry you upstairs, making this family night very awkward."

She laughed softly then kissed him chastely for a few moments before tossing the mistletoe back into one of the containers.

They all spent another hour or two lounging around and watching Christmas movies until Matt announced that he was going to head to bed and suggested that Jeremy follow. Elena then whispered in Damon's ear, "There's a hot tub out back…"

"You brought a swim suit?" Damon asked.

She smirked, "Nope."

He chuckled softly, "I like where your head's at."

Jeremy groaned, "And on that horrifying note, I'll be going upstairs. And wearing ear plugs all night."

Elena's cheeks flushed and Damon smirked, "You might want to blast some music too, and tell Donovan not to get any bright ideas and watch."

He gagged as he stepped one foot on the stairs, "That's my sister, dude."

Elena didn't bother to yell at him; he was going to make inappropriate comments no matter what she did, so there was no point in wasting her breath. She stood up and pulled him with her, grabbing a couple towels from the hall closet before going outside.

Using her vampire speed, Elena stripped and launched herself into the hot water to avoid the cold air. Damon looked at her incredulously, "I was looking forward to watching you strip!"

She giggled and he removed his clothes and was in the water next to her faster than she could blink. The water was high enough to cover her shoulders and keep her warm, but when she straddled Damon's lap it only covered her breasts, which was probably a good thing if she didn't want Damon's eyes to be glued to them.

"Ever thrown any wild parties here?" Damon asked, nipping at the base of her neck.

She weaved her fingers into his hair, urging him on, "Jealous of the trouble I might have gotten into?"

"Depends." He mumbled against her skin. "Does said trouble have a dick that touched you?"

"No." Elena chuckled. "Or at least from the parts I remember, no."

He lifted his head and raised a brow at her, to which she responded with a smirk. He shook his head, "You are all sorts of trouble, Elena Gilbert."

"And what are you gonna do about it?" She grinned, her lips barely an inch away from his.

He answered her with a deep kiss, grabbing her hips and pulling her closer against him. His tongue licked the seam of her lips and she parted them to grant him entrance. His hardening member nudged against her inner thigh and she rocked her hips against it, silently telling him she wanted more.

Damon wordlessly lifted her hips and lined himself up at her small entrance and she slowly sunk down, taking him inside of her. She exhaled shakily, her breath hitting his lips as he took in her every expression. Her eyes were clouded dark with lust, shiny and wanting. Her mouth was hanging open, a small moan spilling from it when he was fully inside of her. Her cheeks were flushed from the bitter cold air, while her chest was warm from the hot water.

He lifted his hands to her breasts, lightly squeezing her soft mounds and pinching her nipples. She whimpered at the sensation, pressing her mouth to his once again as she raised herself up and dropped back down. Damon let her set the pace, content with sitting there and enjoying the view as she threw her head back and ran her hands through her hair. Every time she lifted up, he got to sneak a peak at her rosy nipples before they disappeared back underwater.

His hands were everywhere they could reach, touching as much skin as he could find as it came into view. He squeezed her ass, traced her curves, teased her breasts, and trailed his fingertips over her throat. His gums ached with the desire to sink his fangs into her delicate skin and claim her as his, as if they hadn't already. Her slick walls clenched around his length as she neared her release, and he reached down between them to rub her swollen button.

Elena cried out, arching her back and pushing her breasts to his face as her body trembled, the pleasure still building unbelievably higher. Her nails dug into the back of his neck and she ground her hips against his, searching for just the right angle to finish herself on. Damon knew exactly what she needed, and with his hand that wasn't rubbing tight circles around her clit, he placed it on her lower back and tilted her hips just right until his cock was hitting that magic spot inside of her that made her see stars.

Her body tightened as she started bouncing on him once again, and when Damon finally couldn't take it anymore and sunk his teeth into her neck she exploded. With nothing to muffle her screams, they pierced the calm night air as her face contorted in pleasure. Liquid fire shot through her bloodstream, racking wave after wave of pleasure from her body. She felt it down to every last nerve ending. With Damon pulling her pleasure stricken blood from her neck and his cock buried deep inside of her, she wondered how she was going to survive orgasms as intense as these.

Elena's thick, rich blood coating his mouth and sliding smoothly down his throat, Damon thrust himself roughly into her a few more times before reaching his own end. His body went rigid as her inner muscles clamped down around him, ripping his release from him in the best way possible.

When he released her neck and cleaned the lingering smears of blood from her olive skin, she shuddered in delight and let out a deep breath. Damon kissed his way up her neck to her jaw, then across her cheek to land one last kiss on her lips.

"That's never gonna get old." He smirked, earning an eye roll.

"Pig."

They spent a little while longer relaxing in the hot water and just talking before they went up to bed where their love making continued, though Elena made an effort to keep quiet for Matt and Jeremy's sakes. By the time morning rolled around the two were passed out from exhaustion and wrapped up in each other's arms.

But perhaps the worst wake up call any of them could have received came in the form of an Original hybrid ringing the doorbell, looking as innocent as a kitten as he smiled at them.

"What the hell do you want?" Elena spat, disgust laced into her voice.

Klaus paid her tone no mind and said, "Why, I'm here to help dear Jeremy complete the Hunter's mark. What else would I want?"

Damon sneered, "Oh, I don't know, to cause complete and utter mayhem for your own sick enjoyment?"

He smiled tensely, "I'll let that one go because I really am here to help Jeremy kill as many vampires as possible."

"Well aren't you a saint?" Damon quipped. "Perhaps some of my brother's personality rubbed off on you sometime between the mass murders and threatening Elena's life."

No amusement left to be had, Klaus tersely said, "For once, I'm on the same side as all of you fools, and I'd much rather prefer to do things my way than to let you all screw it up."

Damon smirked, "You see, I believe you. I think you do want to find Silas, but not to kill him and make Jeremy revert from Van Helsing to emo teen. I think that your twisted head has an ulterior motive, and I want to know what it is."

Something dangerous glinted in his eyes as a tiny shred of respect for the eldest Salvatore grew. Damon was certainly a hell of a lot smarter than Stefan, that was for sure. The poor fool he once called a friend simply chose to believe that his intentions were harmless. Stefan on human blood though…he never would have let that slide.

Pasting an innocent smile on his face, Klaus said, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Is it that hard to believe that I want Silas dead?"

Damon narrowed his eyes, ready to refute, when Elena cut in, "Fine, you can help. Jeremy and Matt are out for a run, but they should be back soon in time for training."

Klaus smirked, "I'll go find some vampires for him to kill. Do tell him that it would be best to do so before the sun sets. Newbie vampires are so hard to control."

He shot a devious look at Elena before vanishing out of thin air. She grit her teeth at the jab and Damon asked, "Why the hell would you agree to working with him!?"

She quickly glanced around just to make sure Klaus really had left, and even extended her senses for him. She shut the door when she was sure they were alone and said, "Does it really matter why he wants to help? If he wants Silas, he's going to get to him one way or another, and personally, I'd rather not be working against him if I had the choice."

"But we're not gonna let him get whatever he wants, right?" Damon scoffed.

"Of course not. No way in hell do I want him anywhere near us when we find Silas's location, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, if he's helping Jeremy kill vampires then at least we know that Jeremy won't get hurt. Klaus needs him alive." Elena explained.

She wasn't exactly on board with the idea of Klaus helping them, but he was going to get what he wanted no matter what they did. It was better to just allow him to help than to argue and stir up more unnecessary trouble.

Damon asked, "If Jeremy can control his urges to kill vampires through Bonnie now, then why do we even need to kill Silas?"

Elena wrapped her arms around his waist and comfortingly nestled her cheek against his shoulder, "Because constantly having to keep himself in check so he doesn't kill his own sister is no way to live."

He sighed, resting his chin on top of her head and wrapping his arms around her body, "Fine. We'll save Little Gilbert from the curse so he can go back to brooding high school teenager. But I have to admit, Hunter Jeremy is a lot more interesting than moody pothead Jeremy."

"You have a soft spot for pothead Jeremy and you know it." Elena teased, remembering all of the times the two of them pretended to hate each other then joined forces against her while playing videogames.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Soft spot? Where?"

She smirked and point to his heart, "Right here."

"Is that so?" He smiled lazily down at her.

"Mhm. Right in there is your soft spot for Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, and even Stefan." She grinned.

"You're forgetting someone. My biggest soft spot of all." He said playfully.

"Oh, right. How could I forget your boyfriend Ric?" She giggled.

Damon chuckled, "Ric's hot and all, but I just don't swing that way. The soft spot I was talking about is much bigger and softer."

She moved her arms around his neck and smiled softly, "What it lacks in hiding your vulnerabilities it makes up for in putting that smile on your face."


	12. Chapter 12

Second update today :)

* * *

"Tyler's mom is dead!?" Elena gasped into the phone, trying to make out Caroline's sniveling.

Caroline sniffed, "Tyler's a wreck. His mom was the only person he had left."

"I'm so sorry, Care…" Elena breathed, a crease forming between her brows. "What happened?"

A scoff sounded through the phone and Caroline sneered, "Klaus happened. Somehow he found out about Tyler's plan to break all of his hybrids' sire bonds, so after killing all twelve of them he drowned Tyler's mom."

Her heart ached for Tyler, even if they were never really close. She knew the pain of losing family better than anyone, and she wouldn't wish that upon anyone. Well, except for maybe Klaus…if anyone deserved to die alone, it was him.

Swallowing thickly, Elena asked, "So what happens now?"

Caroline sighed, "I'm spending all of my time with Tyler helping him cope. He's hell bent on getting revenge, but everyone knows that would be a suicide mission. I'm just trying to keep him from doing anything stupid."

"Tell him that I'm sorry, okay? When's the funeral?"

"I will. And he doesn't want to have a funeral since he's really not in the right mind for it." Caroline explained sadly. "The school is having a memorial I think though because she was the mayor and they couldn't just let her death go un-mourned."

"Are you doing okay?" Elena asked knowingly. It was hard to be the only person left for support. Elena knew that Caroline always tended to keep things inside, not wanting to burden anyone with her depressing thoughts. At least when she was sober. Alcohol brought the truth out.

The blonde girl sniffled again, "I'm alright, I guess. Carol was never my number one fan, but it hurts to see Tyler so upset."

"If either of you need anything, just let me know." Elena replied.

Caroline blew out a soft laugh, "How about the next time you see Klaus, do something to hurt him?"

Elena laughed lightly, "I'll see what I can do."

After saying goodbye, Elena hung up the phone and headed back outside to watch Damon train Jeremy. Her brother was currently fighting Matt, and winning—easily. When did her little brother grow some muscles? Suddenly he looked so much more built than he had before.

She walked over next to Damon where he was standing a few yards away. He said quietly so only she would hear, "Carol Lockwood's really dead?"

"Courtesy of Klaus." Elena confirmed, pushing a rock around in the dirt with the toe of her boot.

Damon didn't comment further, instead he stepped in and began instructing Jeremy on a new move. There was really nothing to say about the subject. Klaus had taken so many people from them…any more were no surprise.

When Damon ordered Jeremy to try out the new move on Matt, he returned to her side and said, "You don't have to stick around here, you know. You should go home, be with Caroline and Tyler."

"I'm not leaving Jeremy, end of discussion." Elena insisted. "Especially if Klaus is going to be around here. Bonnie mentioned coming back over to check on Jeremy anyways."

"Rekindling any romance?" Damon smirked.

Elena teased, "What, you didn't gossip all about it during male bonding this morning?"

"No, we were too busy comparing dick sizes." He quipped, giving her a look of disbelief.

Elena's eyes widening, she chuckled, "And on that extremely disturbing visual, I'm going to go call Bonnie and see what's happening."

Without waiting for a response, she headed back up to the house. It was warmer today than it was yesterday, so all she had on was a sweater and light jacket with some jeans. She plopped down in the plush leather armchair and pulled the fleece blanket into her lap as she listened to Bonnie's phone ring.

"Hey, Elena." Bonnie answered.

"Hey. Are you still thinking about coming to the lake house today? Jeremy mentioned having a couple questions for you…"

She sighed, "I was planning on coming over, until my dad got into town this morning. I'm assuming Caroline told you about Tyler's mom?"

"Yeah." Elena said softly. "It's awful."

"I know." Bonnie agreed solemnly. "Anyways, apparently my dad has been decided as the temporary mayor until we can hold elections or whatever. He also thinks that me practicing magic is dangerous, so he's barely letting me leave the house for any reason outside of school."

"How could your magic hurt you? You're always careful not to wear yourself out, Bonnie." Elena said pointedly.

She huffed, "My dad doesn't think so. He doesn't know anything about magic. It's not going to hurt me. Shane has been showing me a new way to practice that doesn't rely on the spirits anymore. They can't hurt Grams if I'm not channeling their power."

"How is that possible?" Elena asked.

"My power comes from myself, basically. It's a neutral source of power that can't be controlled by nature. Spirit magic can only be used if the spirits allow it. But expression isn't something they can control." Bonnie explained simply.

"If it's helping you, then you have my support." Elena told her sincerely.

Bonnie smiled into the phone, "Thanks, Elena. And tell Jeremy to call me with any questions, okay?"

"Okay. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

Elena then returned to Damon just in time for him to say, "This is going to take forever."

Jeremy and Matt were once again sparring, and Matt barely was able to get in a single hit. It seemed like natural fighting instincts came with the Hunter's curse, because there was no way Damon was making that much progress with him in such a short amount of time, especially when he never had any other experience.

"Tell me about it." Elena huffed. "And now that Klaus is helping, we can kiss our plan to kill an Original goodbye."

"Or we just do it behind his back." Damon pointed out.

"Which one should we go for then?" Elena humored him.

"Well, Klaus is out of the picture. Rebekah, while easily manipulated, is currently daggered and hidden away somewhere. Or hell, maybe she's been released by now. Either way, we don't know where she is. Same goes for Elijah. However, I heard from my brother that once Kol caught mention of Silas, he'd been snooping around doing everything possible to prevent us from finding him. He's stupid and arrogant. He won't expect us to come after him."

Elena looked at him in shock, "You've really thought this through…"

He shrugged, "I've had a lot of time to think."

She nodded, "Well let's focus on pacifying Klaus and letting him make vampires for Jeremy to kill."

A few hours later just before dinner, Damon's phone rang and Klaus told them that there was a bar a few miles down the road full of newly transitioned vampires surrounded by human blood. He 'kindly' suggested that they get there before the sun sets and the new vampires will be able to escape the bar.

Just as they were about to leave, Elena's phone began ringing. Bonnie's name appeared on the screen and she frowned, having just talked to her a few hours ago.

"Hey Bon, what's up?"

Elena sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen while she watched Damon prepare Jeremy with a bunch of stakes. He even slipped Matt a few just in case, which made her smile. Damon could argue all he wants, but he cared about her friends, and there was no denying it.

Bonnie began, "Shane was just arrested by Sheriff Forbes for murdering the council."

"Oh my god, he really did it?" Elena gasped.

She sighed, "I didn't believe it for a second, until Liz let me in the interrogation room with him alone. He confessed, Elena. He brain washed the pastor into killing twelve people."

"Why?" Elena asked just above a whisper, her brows creased together.

She heard Bonnie sniffle quickly before saying, "Apparently the spell that needs to be cast to enter Silas's tomb has to not only be cast by a Bennett witch, but requires expression to do so. And it turns out, Shane wasn't truthful on where my power was coming from. The power of expression is drawn from sacrifices."

Elena was speechless. She shot a glance to Damon who just raised a brow as if telling her 'I told you so.' "Well there aren't any more sacrifices, right? You already have the power you need?"

"Enough to do the spell." Bonnie confirmed. "But…Shane wants there to be more. I guess he had planned for Klaus to kill all of his hybrids in just the right spot to create what's called an expression triangle. There's one sacrifice left to do to complete it, but I refused to take part. He kept claiming that the sacrifices weren't permanent. That Silas would be able to bring them back and any other loved ones. But if we're planning on killing Silas to help Jeremy, then there's no way that will happen. And I know it seems like he knows a lot about Silas, but I just don't know if I believe that's true. How can a psychic witch bring dead people back to life? Not even expression can do that."

"Don't believe him for a second." Elena agreed. "So what is this expression triangle supposed to do?"

"Basically, all of the space within the triangle would become a hotspot for expression. It would allow me to cast certain spells that could affect the entire town of Mystic Falls. I could create an invisible barrier to keep the supernatural out. I could even put up a spell that would remove all magic from the town."

"But none of that is going to happen, right?" Elena questioned nervously.

Bonnie assured her, "No, absolutely not. The last sacrifice needed to complete the triangle needs to be witches, and even if by some chance Shane managed to make that happen in the right spot to make the triangle, I would never use it for anything."

Elena sighed, "Okay, good. Are you okay? Do you want me to come home? Everyone here can pretty much handle everything, so it's not a problem if you want me to leave."

"If you're sure everything will be fine there, I could really use the company. Expression is…so much more powerful than Shane led on. I never would have started it had I known. I almost lost control and did something horrible at the police station… I was so upset that Shane had lied to me, and he's now the only one that knows how to control my magic. It just sucks. Just when I thought I was free from people controlling me, this happens."

Elena smiled sadly, even though her friend couldn't see it, "I'll be home soon. Call Caroline if you need someone until then, okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you soon."

Elena hung up the phone then filled in Jeremy and Matt on what was going on since Damon had already heard everything.

If he was being honest, Damon was glad Elena wasn't going to be present to watch her brother kill a bunch of vampires. That was something she didn't need to see, not to mention how dangerous it could be for her. She was just a baby herself, and being around so many other vampires lacking control was a recipe for disaster.

As Jeremy and Matt climbed into Damon's car, he walked Elena to Jeremy's car. "Call me when you get home?" She asked, leaning her backside against the backdoor with the driver's door opened.

Damon gave her a half smile, "I'll even keep you updated on how he's doing. Maybe if we get back in time we can get a dew drinks at the Grill."

"Too bad I'm only eighteen." Elena teased. "The whole town would go mad if they saw me drinking."

Damon smirked, "Then how about you come over to my place, we get drunk, and see where the night takes us."

"Hmm…" Elena hummed. "I think I could get behind that idea. But just to make sure, show me a preview of what I'm missing if I don't?"

He chuckled before leaning down to cover her mouth with his. He pressed her further into the car as his tongue pried its way into her mouth. He slid one of his hands down her hip, over the curve of her ass and to the back of her thigh so he could lift her leg around his hips. She moaned into his mouth, fisting her hands in his hair as she pulled him closer and kissed him deeper.

When they separated a few minutes later, Elena breathlessly smiled, "I said show me just a taste, not the whole entrée."

Damon grinned deviously, "Just wait until we get to dessert later on…"

"Looking forward to it." She winked, hopping into the car.

She rolled the window down and Damon leaned his forearms against it and stuck his head in the opening. "See you tonight."

She gave him a quick kiss, "Yes you will."

He stepped back and watched her drive away before climbing into his car with Dumb and Dumber. He hadn't decided yet which was which. His car roared to life when he turned the key in the ignition, and as he began driving towards the road, Jeremy said, "I get that you and my sister are together or whatever, but there's no need for the free show."

"Who said it was free?" Damon quipped. He lightly slapped Jeremy's arm then held out his hand, "Ten bucks, each of you."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, "No way am I paying to watch my sister and her boyfriend star in a porno."

Matt mumbled his agreement and a few minutes later, Damon was parking outside of the bar. He could smell the blood already, so he knew it was the right place. The sun would be down in an hour or two, so they had until then to kill them all.

However, as they stepped inside braced for the worst, none of them had expected to see the vampires already dead. Some were staked with chair legs, some had their hearts ripped out and discarded next to their body, and some were missing their heads.

"I do hope I didn't interrupt your plans, boys." An accented voice sounded from across the room. Kol was just walking out from a back room, his hands covered in blood and a cocky smirk on his face. "Oh, wait. Actually, I do hope that."

Damon held his arms out gesturing to the room, "What the hell?"

Kol laughed, "Allow me to explain in a way that even you can understand. Under no circumstance is Silas to be awakened. I killed a cult of his worshippers some number of centuries ago, and I have no desire for the world as we know it to end. I quite like being one of the most powerful beings on it, unable to be harmed by anyone."

"Wouldn't be so sure about that." Jeremy muttered under his breath, and Damon shot him a scathing look.

Kol brushed off his comment easily, "Nevertheless, I will do whatever I can to prevent Silas's awakening." He flashed over to stand in front of Jeremy, but to his credit, he didn't flinch. Before Damon could step between them, Kol hauled Jeremy into the back room and threw him into a chair.

Damon was right behind them while Matt left to presumably call someone or stay out of their way, Damon really didn't care to think about it too much.

Kol eyed Jeremy with distaste, "Well since I can't kill you thanks to that pesky Hunter's curse, I won't."

"Gee, thanks." Jeremy said snidely. He still couldn't believe that he had fallen for Kol's trick and become friends with him in Denver.

The Original smirked, "But that doesn't mean someone else can't."

He blurred over in front of Damon and was compelling him before the vampire could react. His reflexes were no match for an Original.

"You're going to kill Jeremy the next chance you get and you don't know why." He ordered, then looked over his shoulder to Jeremy. "I'll give you a head start, kid."

Kol pulled a stake out of what seemed like thin air and drove it into Damon's stomach, causing him to groan and hunch over, dropping to the floor. The pain was excruciating, and it didn't help that he hadn't fed yet today. He gave the last blood bag to Elena this morning and only had a couple sips.

When he wrenched it out of his body and the wound slowly started closing, he realized that he was alone. He stood up and looked around, confused as to where Jeremy and Kol had gone. He quickly checked the entire bar, but it was deserted. Even his car was gone. He swore that if the little punk even scratched his baby he was going to kill him.

Suddenly, Damon had the overwhelming urge to do just that. While he didn't know where the urge was coming from, he knew what had to be done. With that thought in mind, he began running back towards Mystic Falls.

* * *

Elena laughed and sipped her virgin cocktail, made not so virgin by Caroline's travel sized bottle of vodka she snuck into the Grill. Her, Elena, and Bonnie were all out doing their best to enjoy themselves given the circumstances. Elena and Caroline had to sneak Bonnie out of the house just hang out with her!

Her dad was apparently really worried about her, which wasn't necessary in the slightest. To Elena, she seemed as normal as ever. Maybe a little stressed out, but if something was wrong and she was in danger, she would tell them.

Bonnie shoved a couple cheese fries loaded with bacon and ranch into her mouth while Elena and Caroline split an order of buffalo wings. Even though the three of them just had a girl's night, they could never spend enough time together.

Their night of ignoring their problems had been going smoothly too, and they had every intention of keeping it that way. However, when Elena spotted Damon walking in the entrance, she excused herself from the game of pool that she had been observing Bonnie and Caroline play to meet up with him.

"Hey, you." She wrapped her arms around his waist and he briefly smiled down at her before scanning the restaurant. She frowned slightly, "I thought you said you'd call when you got back? I was just about to try your phone since Jeremy showed up for his shift not too long ago."

He blinked a few times and Elena got the feeling that something was off with him. He hadn't made a single snarky remark or smirked once, meaning something was wrong. "Sorry, I forgot. Kol killed all of the vampires so we were out of luck."

"I know, Jeremy filled me in…" Elena trailed off. "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Do you know where Jeremy is? I just want to talk to him about something really quick."

She narrowed her eyes, looking at his face closely before saying, "I think he's in the back."

Damon slipped out of her embrace without so much as a kiss, and that was when she knew for sure something was up. She followed several steps behind him into the storage room where Jeremy was loading a box of supplies onto a shelf. As soon as he saw Damon, his eyes grew wide as he reached into his waistband and pulled out a gun.

Elena quickly flashed between them, protecting Damon, "Jeremy, put that down!"

"Elena, Kol compelled him to kill me! Get out of the way!"

Suddenly it all made sense to Damon. He cursed under his breath and said, "I can't stop it, Jeremy. You're going to have to kill me."

"What!? No!" Elena argued instantly. "There has to be another way!"

Damon reached for the closest thing he could use as a weapon, his body moving without his brain telling him to. He picked up a crowbar and said, "If you have any desire of living, you'll run. Now."

Not needing to be told twice, Jeremy began scrambling for an escape while Elena managed to pry the crowbar from Damon's hands when he wasn't paying attention. Catching him off guard, she shoved him out into the restaurant where he was in public and wouldn't be able to pull anything. It seemed that he still had his common sense.

Shaking his head, he said, "I'm sorry, Elena."

She stepped in front of him and pulled his face down to look at her, "It's not your fault, Damon. Just focus on me, and nothing else."

He exhaled shakily, "Easier said than done."

Not knowing what else to do, she kissed him. He didn't kiss her back, and in the next moment he was gone. She cursed and went after him, finding the vent that led to the caves under the Grill hanging open. She quickly climbed inside and hopped down into the tunnels, listening as Damon spoke loudly to tell Jeremy where he was.

"Listen, Jeremy. I'm going to find you, and if you don't kill me, I will kill you." Just then, a sharp scent hit her nose and she inhaled deeply, the smell making her mouth water. Damon shouted, "Did you seriously just cut yourself!? What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Tampering down on her bloodlust, Elena flashed over to the source finding Damon and Jeremy already facing off, Damon goading him to kill him. Elena watched in horror as Jeremy raised the gun as Damon got closer and closer. She screamed as the first shot went off, and Damon crumpled to the floor. She was immediately at his side, tears pooling in her eyes, but they turned into relief the second she saw the bullet hole on his forehead.

Jeremy told her, "I could never kill him, Elena, even if he pisses us all off like no one else. He makes you happy, and that's good enough for me."

She smiled appreciatively at him and stood to wrap him in her arms, "I love you Jer. Now get out of here. I'm going to call Stefan and we'll figure out a way to get rid of the compulsion."

He nodded, "I'll try to come up with a plan in case he gets away."

As Jeremy headed towards the cave's exit, which was the Lockwood cell, Elena dropped to the floor again and pulled Damon's head in her lap. The hole was still oozing blood so she wiggled the wooden bullet out, then she brushed his hair out of the way to watch it slowly close. She reached for her phone in her back pocket and dialed Stefan's number, waiting until he answered.

His responses were short and clipped, and she supposed she couldn't ask for anything more. He was hurting, and he had every right to, but he agreed to come get Damon and lock him up in the basement. They had to kill Kol now more than ever, because so long as he was alive and the compulsion was still in effect, Damon would have to stay down there.

Damon's face looked so peaceful when it was unmarred by worry and intrusive thoughts. Aside from the disturbing wound on his forehead, he was beautiful. He always had been, as long as Elena could remember. Of course she knew he was attractive from the first time she saw him that night her parents died. That's all she could think of as her mysterious stranger had a life talk with her in the middle of the night on a deserted road. Perhaps that was why she trusted him enough not to run screaming when an unfamiliar man appeared out of nowhere.

Though, being kidnapped by Damon wouldn't be the worst thing that could have happened to her.

She absently ran her hand over his chest, relishing in the ability to finally touch him whenever she wanted. She spent so long ignoring the way he made her feel, the connection they both knew they shared getting the title of friendship rather than what she knew deep down was more than that. She liked not having to constantly remind herself that it was wrong to want him like she did.

Now, nothing had ever felt more right.

Abruptly, Damon's body began moving as he groaned. Stefan wasn't there yet, he still needed to be unconscious! Not knowing what else to do, she straddled his waist in hopes that it would distract him long enough for Stefan to get there.

His eyes fluttered and his hand went to his head, grimacing as his fingers ran over the pink skin that was newly formed. "He shot me in the head?" He asked to no one in particular. "Stupid, idiot, borderline brain-dead—"

Elena cut him off with a kiss, and this time he kissed her back. His hands trailed up her sides, wrapping around her lower back to pull her flush against him. She mewled at the feeling of his hard body pressed tightly to hers and his hands touching the bare skin exposed when her shirt had ridden up.

He rolled over so he was on top of her and broke the kiss to trail his lips down her neck. Her hands loosely held him in place as she lost herself in his touch, but as soon as she let her guard down his weight left hers and he was gone.

She mentally cursed herself for letting him distract her then took off after him. There was only one way out, and by the time she was standing in the underground room she caught Damon's leather-clad back climbing the stairs. As soon as she was in the night air, she caught the scent of Jeremy's blood from when he cut his hand earlier. It was hardly a challenge to find him, and Damon knew it. She was hot on his tail and a few seconds later they were standing in front of Jeremy. His hand was slightly bloody as it held up the gun aimed at Damon, who just kept urging him to kill him while Elena struggled to keep her mouth shut. Jeremy told her he'd never kill Damon, and she trusted him.

"Damon, please!" Elena begged. "Don't do this!"

"What do you want from me, Elena!?" Damon hissed. "I can't resist compulsion!"

"Yes you can! You can do it because you love me, and because I love Jeremy!"

He looked over his shoulder back at her, a pained and angry look on his face. "Why, because Stefan did? I—"

He didn't get to finish whatever he was going to say, because Stefan appeared out of nowhere and snapped his neck. Elena breathed a sigh of relief as Stefan threw his dead weight over his shoulder.

"I tried to keep him distracted as long as I could, but—"

"It's fine." Stefan interrupted with a small smile. "I got here in time. Why don't you take Jeremy home for the night and I'll get Damon in the basement."

She nodded, "Okay."

Stefan disappeared before she could say anything else, and she was left with the task of getting Jeremy home safely.

Seeing the way his sister deflated at Stefan's shortness, Jeremy spoke up, "He's just hurt, Elena. He doesn't hate you."

"I know." She whispered. But that doesn't make it hurt any less. "It's late. We should go home and then we can regroup tomorrow."

After quickly texting Bonnie filling her in on what had happened, Elena drove home with Jeremy. He quickly began doing his own thing to get ready for bed while she headed to her room, intent on doing the same. But she quickly realized that she wasn't going to be able to get any sleep without knowing for sure that Damon was okay.

It wasn't really an option not to drive to the boarding house, but as soon as she set foot in the door she realized she was the only one that felt that way. Stefan greeted her at the door, "What are you doing here?"

She furrowed her brows slightly, "I came to check on Damon…"

Stefan coldly shrugged, "He's fine. You can go home now."

Her shoulders sagged in disappointment, "Stefan…I know you're hurt, but…"

"That's the thing, Elena." He said when she didn't finish. "There is no but. You don't regret it. There's nothing you can say to make this better. Once Damon is un-compelled, the two of you can do whatever the hell you want, but until then, I'd rather not have to listen to you and him rubbing your relationship in my face."

Elena looked at him sadly, the words cutting her deep. However, a part of her still felt the need to defend Damon. To argue back that Stefan had always been the one to get everything he wanted while Damon was left in the cold, unwanted by their father and unloved by the woman he waited a century and a half to save. If anyone deserved something good, it was him.

Stefan added, "Damon's going to screw up. You can count on that. He's going to do something unforgivable and you'll be left heartbroken. He always screws up anything good that comes to him, and you will be no different. My advice? Get out while you still can. And don't be afraid to call me when that day comes."

Now she was pissed. Damon didn't deserve a brother that spoke so poorly of him, and Stefan didn't deserve a brother that loved him unconditionally. Damon has consistently spoken of how good and deserving his brother was of everything he got. Anyone could see how much he truly loved and respected his little brother, but sadly, the same couldn't be said about Stefan. Given the chance, Stefan would do anything in his power to convince those around him that Damon was dangerous, useless, and a fuck up. Maybe he wouldn't let him die, but he wasn't exactly doing it because he thought Damon deserved to live.

"You're wrong, Stefan." She said strongly. "I can't argue that Damon sometimes makes rash decisions that hurt those around him, but you know as well as I do that it's only because he was hurt first. That's no excuse for killing people, but you know what? At least he isn't afraid of who he is. I have no doubt that Damon will screw up in the future and hurt me. But there's nothing he can do that won't earn my forgiveness. He killed my own brother and I forgave him. He force fed me his blood so I wouldn't die permanently, which is more than you can say, and I forgave him. I love him, Stefan, and that's not going to change. Not now, not in a year, not ever. But when things get tough between us, I know that I will love him enough to stick around and fight for him with my life. I died for him once already, and I'm not afraid to do it again. It's about damn time that someone loves him the way he deserves, and I'm just sad that it had to be me and not you, his own brother who he cares more about than anything else in the world."

She pushed past him on that note and stormed downstairs to the basement. She was sick and tired of trying to get through to Stefan only to have him making snide comments about her and Damon. He didn't have to be happy about it, but she didn't do anything wrong. She didn't cheat on him, she didn't set out to purposely switch brothers, and she didn't choose Damon just to hurt him. She did what she had to in order to be happy.

And isn't that what life was all about?

Elena peeked through the opening in the door and saw Damon sprawled out on the cot against the far wall. She raised her hands to the metal bar locking the door, but thought twice about unlocking it. It was hard enough to get him in there, and she wasn't going to risk him getting out again.

So she sat down on the floor and listened for him to wake up until she fell asleep herself.


	13. Chapter 13

Elena didn't think things between her and Stefan could get any worse. He pretty much hated her for choosing his brother over him, he flat out told her that he liked her better when she was a human, and he didn't bother to hide his feelings about her and Damon, opting to tell her to her face how bad of a decision he thought it was.

She didn't think he could get any lower.

Until now.

She was at the Grill with Matt when Klaus showed up. It had been a few days since Kol compelled Damon, so she hadn't been able to spend any time with him. When she had woken up the next morning in the basement that night, she had a brief conversation with a remorseful Damon who assured her that it was better that he was locked up. She went to leave shortly after, only to run into Stefan again who threatened her once more not to come visit Damon again until he was no longer compelled.

Stefan was like the prison guard from hell, and took Damon's phone too so he couldn't 'call Jeremy and try something' as if he even could. Jeremy wasn't able to be compelled now that he was a Hunter. Elena hadn't spoken to Damon in days, and she respected Stefan just enough not to show off her relationship with his brother in their own home.

Then Klaus decided the drop the bombshell that Stefan slept with Rebekah. Stefan claimed he no longer loved her and had moved on, but Elena knew that was anything but the truth. If it was, then he wouldn't have felt the need to have revenge sex.

And she supposed Rebekah really was the perfect person for it. She hated Elena more than anyone and wanted her dead. She probably would have killed her already had Klaus not stopped her.

It was then that Elena knew she couldn't trust Stefan. If he could have sex with the person that wanted her dead the most, then there was no limit to what he'd do.

She had yet to have a word with him on the topic, but she was sure it was coming.

Having lost her desire to talk, Elena said goodbye to Matt and went home. A long hot shower and a bottle of Jack Daniels sounded good to her. Nothing like binge drinking alone since her two friends were busy. Caroline was with Tyler, expectedly given the circumstances, and Bonnie was recently put on a lockdown by her parents. Her mom had showed up for the sole purpose of locking Bonnie in the house to physically keep her away from Shane and expression. It seemed like they really had no trust in their daughter, which was unfortunate considering Bonnie was one of the most loyal people of all.

After spending a good hour under the scalding hot water, she decided to get out only because it was starting to get cold. She towel dried her hair then wrapped the towel around her body and flopped down face first on her bed. Her body felt heavy with stress, and even the hot water couldn't relieve her tight muscles.

She wanted Damon. One night with him and she'd be as good as new, but she couldn't risk him getting out again and she currently had no desire to face Stefan. Begrudgingly, she put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt then went downstairs to grab a bite to eat. She got the feeling that the house wasn't safe when she spotted the crossbow on the table, and she reminded herself that it wasn't.

Yesterday had been a bust. They tried to put in action a plan to kill Kol so Jeremy's mark could be completed. He blindsided them and demanded to be invited in, which Jeremy had done with the intent of using the white oak stake on him. However, a good opportunity never surfaced and he left. There was no telling when he would attack next, and all they could do was be prepared.

Tonight would have been the decade dance, themed as the 80's, but it was cancelled by Bonnie's dad in attempt to punish her for whatever reason. Stefan was supposed to be getting the dagger from Rebekah to use it on her, but Elena highly doubted that was going to happen at this point. Jeremy was currently at Bonnie's house trying to convince her parents to let her leave, so Elena supposed they'd have to wait and see how that turned out.

It was already late, the sun having set, and just when Elena was starting to get worried, Jeremy walked through the door, noticeably without Bonnie.

"No luck?" Elena asked, crossing her arms.

"Her parents seriously have her on lockdown. It's like Alcatraz over there, but Bonnie told me she'd figure out a way to come over. If we have any hope of subduing Kol long enough then we need her." Jeremy explained, grabbing some leftovers from the fridge.

Elena leaned against the table as she watched her brother inhale the pasta salad straight from the container. All of the real food in the house was his now, so she often found some pretty strange things in the fridge. She claimed the bottom bin for her blood bags as well as one shelf in the freezer while he got all of the other space.

He finished that food quickly then pulled open the closet beneath the stairs to retrieve some stakes and a gun loaded with wooden bullets. She tucked a couple stakes in her waistband just as the doorbell rang and Jeremy said, "That must be Bonnie. She was right behind me."

Elena answered the door, only to come face to face with Kol. She mentally cursed and immediately slammed the door in his face, but he just laughed and said, "Too late, I've already been invited in!" He kicked in the door and stormed inside, "Jeremy, perhaps you and I should go for another round in the batting cages in Denver before I chop off that arm yours?"

While Jeremy aimed the loaded gun at him, Elena threw both of her stakes at him, but he easily caught them both. Jeremy shot him with the entire round of wooden bullets but all it did was slow him down. They ran into the kitchen, but Kol surged forward and drove one of the stakes into Elena's stomach, causing her to groan in pain and drop to the floor.

Using his speed and strength, Kol had Jeremy's arms bound around his back and he laid him on the kitchen island, a butcher knife in his hand. "Now, off with that arm, but don't worry mate, I wouldn't want that Hunter's curse so I'll give you my blood and heal you right up."

Elena finally was able to wrench the stake from her stomach just in time to tackle Kol away from her brother and drive the knife into his shoulder instead. While the two of them were fighting, Jeremy ripped the ties around his wrists with his Hunter's strength and bolted for the sink. He turned on the vervained water, courtesy of Bonnie's dad, and aimed the sprayer at the two of them. Elena, knowing what he was going to do, backed out of the way and Jeremy shot the water at him.

His skin immediately started singing and blistering as he cried out in pain, but it didn't last long. He lunged for Jeremy, and as they were struggling to fight each other off, Elena retrieved the white oak stake from the flour jar where it had been hidden.

"Jeremy!" She yelled as she threw it, and he caught it right out of the air and thrust it into Kol's chest before he could stop them.

Instantly he lit up in flames as he screamed, flailing around the kitchen for a moment before dropping to his knees and falling over next to the table. Their chests heaving, Elena and Jeremy shared a look as his body slowly burned and the flames simmered down to smoke.

They did it. Jeremy killed Kol. His mark would be finished before the end of the night, and they'd be able to go find Silas using Shane.

The two of them watched in silence until Kol's body became unrecognizable and stopped smoking. Jeremy silently retrieved a sheet from the closet and laid it out over him after pulling the untarnished stake from his ashen corpse.

Elena blew out a laugh, "I never thought I'd say this, but good job killing him, Jeremy."

He gave his own laugh, "We did a pretty damn good job. I'm going to call Bonnie and have her meet us at the boarding house. Stefan was getting Silas's headstone for Bonnie's spell, right?"

She nodded, "That's what he said. If everything went to plan, then we'll be traveling to Silas by morning."

* * *

Elena, Jeremy, and Bonnie were all waiting in the boarding house for the mark to finish appearing. Jeremy was anxious for it to happen, and everyone could tell.

"What if it doesn't work?" He asked, inspecting the design on his hand and wrist.

"It will." Elena assured him from her seat next to Bonnie on the couch. Jeremy was too anxious to sit down; he was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. "It took time for Finn's line to die off. We just have to be patient."

A quick phone call to Bonnie earlier confirmed that she escaped her parents and Elena told her to go to the boarding house instead. They were still waiting on Stefan's return, and Bonnie had released Damon earlier since she got to the house first and filled him in. He had gone upstairs to shower before anyone else arrived.

Jeremy ran a hand through his hair, "But what if it doesn't?"

"Where's that Gilbert optimism?" Damon quipped, sauntering into the room. Elena immediately got to her feet and hurried into his awaiting arms. His muscular arms enveloped her, pulling her against his hard chest. She molded perfectly to his body, her arms going around his waist and her fingers gripping his back. She had waited far too long for this moment.

"I missed you." She murmured into his shoulder.

He ran his fingers through her hair and whispered back, "I missed you too."

Elena closed her eyes a breathed him in one last time before separating, and as soon as they did the front door swung open and Stefan strolled inside carrying the headstone which was really nothing more than a rock.

He dropped his gaze to the floor at the sight of them so close to each other and said, "I got the headstone."

She tried her best not to inject judgment into her tone; she really did, but as she said the words they couldn't have sounded more icy. "So did you dagger Rebekah like we all planned?"

Her tone not even fazing him, he said, "No, I didn't need to. She's on our side."

Damon scoffed, "Oh yeah, sure, just like Klaus is on our side."

Elena cut in, "Oh Damon, did he forget to tell you? The only 'side' Rebekah is on is the other side of Stefan's bed."

He blew out a laugh, "Well done, brother. But just to humor us, tell me, why is Rebekah interested in helping us kill Silas?"

"Because Klaus wants to find some object to gain all of his powers and psychic abilities. He would be even more unstoppable than he is now, and not even his siblings want that to happen." Stefan explained easily.

Damon ground out, "We had a plan to stop Klaus, Stefan! And with Rebekah now snooping around, we're screwed! Or were you too preoccupied bleeding me dry to remember that she's a bitch that can't be trusted!?"

"You bled him dry!?" Elena yelled angrily, her fiery eyes dripping with rage.

Completely ignoring Elena, Stefan said to his brother, "At the least the women I choose to keep in my bed aren't there out of pity."

Without a second's hesitation, Damon's fist flew across his face and Stefan stumbled to the ground. Thankfully, before anything else could happen, Jeremy cried out in pain and they turned to watch as his tattoo slowly crept up his arm and beneath his shirt. He pulled his shirt over his head so they could see the rest of it appear. It sprawled across both sides of his chest before finally, the ink stopped moving and everyone stood there in stunned silence.

They were ready to leave, and after agreeing to wait until the morning, everyone dispersed to their own homes. Well, everyone except for Bonnie. She was staying with Jeremy and Elena so she wouldn't have to worry about her parents doing something drastic to keep her in their house again.

Just as the three of them got inside and closed the door, they heard someone angrily yell from outside, "Where is my brother!?"

Klaus.

Suddenly glass was flying everywhere as Klaus threw a fence post into the window, narrowly missing Elena's head. They all hit the floor as more things flew in the house, breaking the front windows while Klaus screamed at the top of his lungs to let him inside. No matter that it was the middle of the night and the neighbors would be woken up.

Bonnie suddenly said, "Jeremy, invite him in, I have a plan."

She crawled into the safety of the kitchen and the two siblings shared a look before Elena flashed to the door and pulled it open. Klaus paused mid-throw in their front yard and walked up the porch, glaring daggers at her. Jeremy appeared at her side, glancing anxiously back at the kitchen before saying, "Come in."

Blinded by rage, Klaus didn't stop to wonder why they had invited him in. Instead, he stormed into the house as they fled, intent on killing whoever was responsible, until he spotted Kol's body covered by a sheet at the foot of the kitchen table. He slowly approached, unable to see anything else, until Bonnie shouted, "Get him in the living room!"

Elena sped towards Klaus, shoving him as hard as he could until he stumbled into the living room. She immediately retreated to her spot next to Bonnie where Jeremy was on her other side, and as Klaus tried to get near them, he was stopped by an invisible barrier.

"What is this!?" He screamed, pounding against it as hard as he could.

Bonnie confidently crossed her arms, "Don't bother. I put up a barrier spell bound on the new moon. You'll be stuck here for three days at least."

So it looked like the three of them were going to be crashing at the boarding house after all…not that Elena had a problem with that. If it meant cuddling with Damon all night, she'd gladly spend the night there. And there were plenty of spare rooms for Bonnie and Jeremy, but something about the glances they kept sharing made Elena wonder if they were going to need two rooms or one.

Besides, it would probably be better if they were there to make sure the brothers didn't kill each other.

Not listening to a word that Klaus shouted at them, they gathered everything they'd need for tomorrow before piling into the car and driving back to the boarding house. Elena sent a quick text to Damon to let him know and Caroline to fill her in on everything that was happening. She was going to stay in Mystic Falls to keep an eye on things with Tyler, so they could make sure Klaus was still contained as well.

Stefan was nowhere to be seen when they arrived, but Damon was there to greet them at the door. Nobody had the balls to ask where Stefan had gone, and Elena just didn't care. His words still rung out in her mind.

At least the women I choose to keep in my bed aren't there out of pity.

He had no right to say that when he knew Elena was in love with Damon. But it made her wonder if that's what everyone else thought. It felt kind of like she had told everyone but Damon that she was in love with him, but without him knowing, it almost seemed to cheapen their relationship. The lack of love confessions diminished what they had, and Elena decided that there was no more holding off for a so-called 'perfect moment.' Damon needed to know how she felt, now more than ever, because he might even believe what Stefan said was true.

She'd never forgive herself if she didn't straighten out things with him and he lived believing that she was only with him because she felt sorry for him.

Damon said, "Well, make yourself at home, I guess, as if you don't already. Not much people food in the kitchen, but you might get lucky and find something."

Bonnie smiled tightly and Jeremy said, "I think I'm just going to head to bed. Any guest bedroom is fine?"

Damon nodded and Jeremy went upstairs with Bonnie following. Alone for the first time in days, Damon wrapped his arm around Elena's waist while he held a glass of bourbon in his free hand. She pressed her hips into his and ran her hands down his chest, smirking, "Hm, now that I've got you all to myself I seem to be drawing a blank on what to do with our limited time."

"Oh, are you now?" He smirked as her hands lifted his shirt to graze the skin right above the waistband of his jeans.

Trailing her fingertips into his happy trail, she played innocent, "Well…there was one thing I had in mind, but…you probably wouldn't be interested."

As her fingers dipped below his jeans, following the dark hair down until she was barely an inch from his straining erection, he swallowed thickly, "Try me."

She smiled sweetly and removed her hand, wrapping her arms around his neck. She placed a kiss just below his ear then whispered, "Make love to me."

The sound of his glass being set down on a nearby table reverberated through the room. His now free hand tangled into her hair, gently nudging her face out of his neck so he could look at her.

"Gladly," he whispered back before slowly lowering his mouth to cover hers.

He kissed her slowly, taking his time exploring her mouth with his tongue while pouring his feelings for her into his every touch. Her soft skin felt like silk against his hands as they slipped beneath her shirt. Her mouth tasted like cherries and vanilla, intoxicating in every sense of the word. Her needy hands twisting around in his hair, urging him closer, made him pull her body tightly against his.

They kissed deeply and passionately as the fire slowly crackled out in the background, a stark contrast to the fire in their hearts that only seemed to burn brighter. Damon moved his hands down her hips and curled them around her thighs, lifting her into his arms. He began walking towards the stairs to go to his room as she distracted him with her complete and utter devotion.

Sometimes he still couldn't believe that he had gotten the girl. That she actually chose him. That it wasn't some sort of dream conjured up by his masochistic subconscious. That Elena really was in his arms, kissing him like she could never get enough of him.

He loved her so damn much. Maybe she hadn't said the words he longed to hear more than anything yet, but he trusted that her heart was in the right place when she chose to be with him. It wasn't because of pity as his brother had so lamely taunted. Elena was too good of a person to ever lead someone on if her own emotions weren't real. That's why she chose him, not Stefan.

When he finally got to the bedroom, Damon kicked the door closed behind him before slowly lowering Elena onto the bed. He ground his hips into hers, her mouth falling open in a silent moan as her eyes fluttered before closing. He buried his face in her neck, nipping, sucking, and kissing at her sweet spot until her back arched off the bed and she bucked her hips up into his.

He pulled back to look in her face, the tip of his nose brushing hers, and she surprised him by saying the last thing he ever expected.

Her hands in his hair, keeping his face right in front of hers and his eyes locked onto her own, she said, "I love you, Damon."

She watched the emotions pass through his eyes like a beautiful movie. Surprise because the last time he heard some say that and mean it was when his mother was alive. Confusion, briefly, because he still had a hard time believing that it could be true. Happiness as he saw the sincerity in her eyes and realized that she meant every syllable of it. And finally, reverence when he knew that he was never going to be able to let her go.

He opened his mouth against hers once again, showing her with his body how much he loved her rather than repeat the words she's heard from him more often than he cared to admit. With a new sense of pure need, he ripped her shirt open right down the center and her bra met a similar fate until her upper half was devoid of any clothing. She ripped the buttons right off his own shirt and he shrugged out of it, throwing it down to the floor with her ruined clothes. He kissed down her chest between her breasts, stopping briefly to suckle on each nipple before moving further south towards her jeans. He ripped them down her longs right along with her panties, leaving her completely naked for his viewing pleasure.

The curves of her waist and hips, her flushed cheeks and neck as the blood pumped through her veins, her heaving chest, breasts raising along with every breath she took—it was enough to make a man go mad, and it was all his. He quickly rid himself of his pants and boxers and Elena spread her legs to accommodate his hips.

Not wanting to draw this out any longer than it had to be, Damon lined himself up at her glistening wet entrance and bit his lower lip as he slid home. Elena whimpered in appreciation until he stilled inside of her, his entire length engulfed by her heat. He dropped his forehead to hers and braced his elbows on either side of her shoulders, his hands fisting in the sheets as he began a slow, powerful rhythm. Elena gripped his shoulder blades as she held his body close to hers, her legs already trembling from the raw emotion flowing between them.

She was his in every way possible, and he was hers. There was no more Damon and Elena, rather, they were one person, unable to distinguish where they had once been separate. Never before had they felt a connection so intensely deep and beautiful with anyone else.

Elena squeezed her eyes shut, the pleasure quickly working through her body and tingling every last fiber of her being. She breathed in front of his mouth, their foreheads still touching, "I love you," thrust, "I love you," thrust.

Damon let out a shaky breath, his own crystal blue eyes slipping shut as his heart latched onto the words to the point where if she ever took them back, he'd be shattered. Putting more strength into his movements, he surged forward with more force than before as if pounding the words out of her. She continued to pant them, and he basked in them until his heart was so swollen with love that he was sure it would never be the same again. And he didn't want to ever go back to how it had been before.

Elena lifted her hips to meet his every thrust, her release on the horizon as Damon shamelessly chased his own. He felt everything tighten when her walls quivered around him, and a few thrusts later they both tumbled over the edge together, their cries of pleasure blending together into one sound.

Clutching his limp body to hers, Elena slowly caressed his back until she felt him press his lips against her neck and roll off of her. Damon pulled the covers over their sweaty, tired bodies and Elena snuggled into his chest, both of them lying on their sides. Elena's arms were around his waist and she used his bicep as a pillow with her forehead and nose touching his warm chest. His one arm was wrapped around her shoulders while the other was around her waist. Their legs were tangled together, and Elena's heavy eyes were quickly falling shut.

"I love you, Damon…" She murmured sleepily one last time.

Damon smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "I love you too." She let out a soft little yawn resembling an adorable little kitten, and Damon whispered, "Get some sleep, kitten. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

She nodded into his chest and he listened to her breathing and soft heartbeat until they evened out and she fell asleep. He was glad that she was one of those vampires that breathes in her sleep. Stefan rarely breathed in his sleep, and frankly, it was pretty creepy. A little annoying too when Damon didn't know if he was home because he had to go physically look to see if he was just sleeping.

Tonight, his wildest dreams came true.

He had a feeling it was going to take a while to sink in. He'd never gotten what he wanted, and to finally have Elena was going to take some getting used to. It wasn't so bad getting used to having the woman he loved in his arms though, so he had no complaints.

His own eyes drooping shut from the tiring emotions of the day, he pressed one last kiss to Elena's head before allowing himself to fall asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

We are officially on the island :)

* * *

It was cold, cloudy, dreary, and miserable. Seriously, Silas's tomb couldn't have been in the Bahamas, Elena thought bitterly as she climbed out of the boat, all bundled up in her coat, scarf, and hat. No, apparently that would be a crime, because he was buried on some remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia.

She hadn't even known where Nova Scotia was until Shane told them yesterday. They had hopped on a plane and flown there, and today they were all starting the trek to find Silas, 'they' being Elena, Damon, Jeremy, Bonnie, Stefan, Shane, and Rebekah.

Elena was about two seconds away from choking that bitch with her stringy blonde hair. There was no reason for her to be there, yet there she was falling all over Stefan just to piss Elena off while Stefan hardly tried to stop her. Hell, he sometimes encouraged her!

Well, two could play at the game.

She pressed herself against Damon's front and sighed, "Can we go back to yesterday? Or more specifically last night?" A small smirk grew on her lips as she leered up at him.

Damon knew exactly what she was doing. And he might've cared too if he were anyone else other than Damon Salvatore. But a chance to rub Elena's love for him in his bastard little brother's face while pissing off an Original? He was right on board that boat. Hell, he was captaining the boat!

He smirked, "What part of last night?" Knowing that only Stefan and Rebekah would be able to hear since they were the only vampires, he continued, "When I made you scream my name until it was the only word you knew or when you literally broke the headboard because I was making you lose your mind?"

And both of those things did happen, which caused Elena's breath to hitch and Damon's smirk to widen. A subtle glance at Stefan and Rebekah proved they were both steaming with rage, and Elena looked up at Damon through her lashes and bit her lower lip, "Care to give me an encore later tonight?"

"Only if you promise to do that thing with your tongue…"

Elena giggled as his sentence trailed off, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you."

In that moment, neither of them were focused on the two they put the show on for. Instead, Damon smiled genuinely at her and replied, "Love you too."

Shane announced, "Alright, if everyone's ready now we should head out. There's a cabin a few miles in that miners used to use when the tomb was first discovered and we need to get there before dark. There are rumors of natives living on this island and they don't like people trespassing, so it's dangerous to be out alone, especially at night. A group of spring breakers came here one year and they were all killed by the natives. Everyone beware of booby traps, and keep your senses aware of anything out of the ordinary."

Everyone lifted their bags into their arms or slung them around their backs as Shane began leading the way. Sneaking another glance at the she-devil and her minion, Elena was pleased to see her face tight in anger and her chin haughtily raised as she stomped off with Stefan trailing behind.

Elena and Damon shared a look, then Damon winked and kissed her temple before taking her hand and following the group. As a vampire, it was kind of hard to think that some kind of primitive booby trap set by a native islander was going to hurt them, so the vampires of the group barely even gave Shane's warning a second thought. Elena kept her eyes and ears alert since Bonnie and Jeremy were human and wouldn't have her same reflexes, and Damon did as well just in case.

The terrain of the island was rather rough with steep inclines, jagged and unstable rocks to climb over, and no clear path to navigate through the trees. All of the non-fir trees had lost their leaves, leaving the landscape dull and brown yet easy to see through. They didn't have to trudge through mud or brush though, so that was another plus.

They soon came to realize that Shane hadn't been joking when he said that there could be booby traps. Damon saved Jeremy from getting a hatchet to the back, while Stefan stopped an arrow from hitting Rebekah. Elena had felt it coming, but she didn't do a damn thing about it on purpose. It's not like it could kill her anyway.

They hiked all day long, only stopping so the humans could have some breaks to eat and whatnot. It felt like they had been hiking for ages, and as the sun slowly began descending in the sky, Elena asked, "Are we almost to the cabin?"

"Giving up already?" Rebekah sneered. "Can't even handle a few mile hike."

Elena gritted her teeth but resisted giving her the reaction she wanted. Shane answered, "Just another half mile and we should be there."

She nodded her understanding as she stepped up yet another rock formation. Rebekah jibed, "Yes, and then poor, weak Elena can have the break she needs to survive. After all, that's what everyone is here for. To make Elena happy."

Elena didn't bother pointing out the fact that it was Jeremy they were here for, and when Damon slipped his hand into hers she squeezed until she felt bones snap and quickly shot him an apologetic look. She often forgot the extent of her strength, but Damon barely even flinched. He just laughed silently and shook out his hand before giving it back to her when the bones instantly healed.

"Remind me again," Rebekah started, "Why is Elena even here? She's completely useless. Stefan and I have the headstone. Shane knows where Silas is. Jeremy has the mark for the spell, and Bonnie has to do the spell. She has no purpose."

"What about me?" Damon asked.

She smirked, "You, Damon, have a nice behind."

Elena rolled her eyes while Damon shrugged. She wasn't going to let her win.

"But I guess that's just Elena." She continued. "Playing the damsel in distress while expecting everyone to fawn over her. Perhaps that's why Stefan wanted to sleep with me. He simply tired of the helpless act like everyone else has."

A sharp crack echoed through the trees as Rebekah's lifeless body fell to the ground. Stefan threw her over his shoulder, "That should keep her quiet for a while."

Elena sent him a small and surprised smile before they continued walking. It was growing darker and darker, and just when it got to the point where the humans wouldn't be able to see, they reached the camp.

Shane pushed open the door to the little shack and said, "The people that are actually alive get the cabin for obvious reasons. Everyone else, we brought tents for a reason."

While Bonnie, Jeremy, and Shane entered the tiny cabin, Elena got to work on setting up her and Damon's tent. She was grateful that her parents forced her on all those camping trips when she was little, because now she knew how to set up a tent. She and Damon worked quickly, sliding the poles together and driving the stakes into the ground. Their tent was very small, only fitting the two of them comfortably, but that was all they needed. Though Elena was curious as to how Damon learned to use a tent, she didn't ask at the risk of Stefan and the newly alive and extremely pissed off Rebekah saying something snide.

However, she did get a kick out of watching the two of them try to set up their own tent. It was painfully obvious that neither had stepped foot in one in their entire lives, which was saying something given their ages.

Damon smirked as Stefan threaded the poles into one of the openings and they all fell apart, "Need some help, baby bro?"

"What do you even know about setting up tents anyways?" He bit out.

"Well Steffie, while you were off slaughtering towns of innocents and recovering on the bunny diet, I was living it up at music festivals across the world. If you wanted a place to sleep at Woodstock, then you brought a tent."

Elena made a mental note to ask him about that at some point. She was sure he had some interesting stories about the past, and she wanted to know every last detail.

She resisted laughing when Rebekah eyed one of the plastic stakes like it was from another planet and Damon asked, "Sure you don't need any help there, Goldilocks?"

"I'm quite capable of assembling something as trivial as a tent, thank you very much." She snapped, making Damon hold up his hands in defense.

Elena removed the self-inflating air mattress from her backpack and twisted the latch to let it suck in air. Damon brought out several thick blankets, and when the mattress was fully inflated they stuffed it into the tent. It barely fit, but with the way they curled up in each other's arms all night space wasn't really an issue. Damon spread out all of the blankets until the inside of the tent was a cozy little space for the two of them with a small lantern hanging from a hook at the top. And then there was Stefan and Rebekah's tent that looked a little worse for the wear, to say the least.

Damon sped off into the woods to gather firewood, and ten seconds later he was back carrying a big pile. After arranging it in a stone pit, Bonnie used her magic to start a fire so the three people that needed to eat real food could cook something up. As for blood, they were stuck drinking it cold or waiting ten minutes for it to heat up in a pot over the fire.

Though it was slightly less than appetizing, Elena guzzled down a bag of blood cold. It was still fulfilling, just not as much as blood could be, especially when fresh from the vein.

When Stefan and Rebekah finally got their tent set up, they joined everyone else around the fire and Shane began going over the game plan for the morning.

"Silas's tomb is just over that ridge. There's a mineshaft that was built above it that we can use to go down, and at the bottom is where I'll sacrifice some of my blood and get my wife back."

Everyone stared at him awkwardly, though nobody said anything. If he thought Silas could bring back his dead wife, then that was his problem.

"After that, I don't care what you do to Silas."

Damon narrowed his eyes, his distrust for the professor still extremely high. They finished eating and everyone dispersed. Stefan and Rebekah were still doing whatever they could to piss off Damon and Elena. Bonnie was talking to Jeremy and Elena about something or other, and Damon saw it as the perfect chance to get the Nutty Professor alone for some questioning. Smiling tightly, he walked up to him and clapped a hand around the back of his neck, "I think it's time you and I had a little chat."

Shane rolled his eyes, but allowed Damon to push him through the woods and back a ways to a dilapidated shed. He shoved Shane into an old chair and roughly placed his hand on his shoulder, keeping him sitting.

"So tell me, now that we know where the tomb is, what's to stop me from killing you right now? Frankly, I don't trust you not to betray us."

"Come on, Damon, we've been over this before. All I want is my wife back. I'm sure you can understand missing the dead."

"About that. What aren't you telling us?" Damon asked, grabbing a fistful of his hair and tugging on it painfully.

Shane groaned and confessed, "I lost her a few years ago to expression. She lost control, and it killed her."

He blew out a laugh, "So you taught Bonnie how to do the very thing that took away everything you loved. Poetic, don't you think?" He stepped away and picked up some ropes, tying Shane to the chair before he even finished taking a breath. He grabbed a crowbar and continued, "I myself happen to be more of a novel kind of guy though. Now, are you going to tell me everything or am I going to have to use force?"

"What more do you want from me?" He asked hopelessly. "You know everything I do!" Damon struck his leg with the crowbar, making him groan. He gasped through the pain then said, "You know what I think? You're frustrated with something, my guess would be your girlfriend's desire to show you off to your brother, and you have no way of working out your issues without hurting someone, and I just so happen to fit the bill because nobody here cares if I live or die."

Damon hated that he was partially right, and he slammed the crowbar against his other leg. Not enough to break it, but enough to leave some serious bruising.

Sure, he had jumped on the opportunity to finally be able to be with Elena in public like he always wanted. He wanted everyone to know that she was his now, his brother included. He wasn't going to let Elena go anytime soon.

And while he could rationalize that Elena was just pissed about Rebekah and she was showing off their relationship to make her upset more than Stefan, that didn't change the fact that she was still showing off to him. Damon recalled the time shortly after he killed Jeremy that Elena had kissed Stefan in front of him in a similar manner, purely to spite him. But her and Damon's mutual attraction had been bubbling beneath the surface for months. They both knew that she kissed him to convince both of them that she wanted Stefan while her mind was singing a different tune, thinking about how she desired Damon.

What was the difference between then and now? Elena loved him, sure, but she loved Stefan at the time. If she truly didn't care what he thought, then she wouldn't feel the need to have her tongue down Damon's throat whenever he was around.

"Nice try." Damon smiled tightly. "But I, unlike your witchy minion, am not so easily manipulated.

Shane shook his head, "I have nothing to gain by betraying you, Damon. But you won't kill me."

"And why's that?"

Confidently, he said, "Because it's a big spell for Bonnie to cast tomorrow, and she needs me to be there to keep her in control so she survives it."

Damon smirked wickedly when he realized that Shane thought way too much of him. Number one rule when dealing with Damon Salvatore, never underestimate him.

Sure, Bonnie might lose control, but as Shane once said, Bonnie was stronger than he thought.

He could practically taste the kill as he walked behind Shane and bent down to lean his chin against his shoulder. "There is one flaw in your logic, professor. I don't give a shit about Bonnie Bennett."

He could smell the shift from confidence to fear, and it made his gums ache. He wouldn't drink his blood and risk the vervain he probably ingested, but that wouldn't make killing the shady bastard any less satisfying. Placing his hands just right to snap his neck with one over Shane's mouth and the other on the back of his head, he took one last moment to listen to his muffled cries for help.

Just as he was about to twist, he was shoved back against the wall as Elena hissed, "What is wrong with you!?"

He clenched his jaw in frustration, the itch to lash out tickling just beneath the surface. He could kiss any hope of tying up one of their loose ends right now goodbye, because Elena wouldn't let Shane die for Bonnie's sake. She wouldn't take the risk like he would.

A hard look on his face, he slipped out of the door to head back to camp. With his fun ruined and nobody around to kill, all he wanted to do was sleep.

Elena turned to face Shane and hissed, "What did you say to him!?"

She pulled at the ropes tying him down to release him as he said, "Your boyfriend's a psychopath, Elena!"

When he was freed, she ground out, "Stop messing with my friends. You are only here for Bonnie, and after that, nobody cares what happens to you."

She immediately left to go find Damon. Whatever Shane had said put him on edge, and that was never a good thing. She found him already in their tent, drinking from a bottle of bourbon that he somehow snuck into his backpack. She zipped the flap closed behind her and sat down across from him, grabbing the bottle to take a drink before giving it back.

"You want to tell me what happened or am I going to have to pry it out of you?" She asked pointedly.

He wiggled his eyebrows, "How would you go about prying it out of me?" She raised a brow in disapproval and he said, "Hey, if you're giving me options then I want to know them."

"Come on, Damon, talk to me. You don't have to do this anymore with me. I'm with you, and I always will be."

"Isn't that what you told Stefan once upon a time?" He countered, swallowing another gulp of the strong alcohol.

"That's what this is about?" She asked, confused. "I thought I made it clear that he's my past and you're my present and future. I'm in love with you, Damon. Not Stefan. What I feel for you is so much more than anything else I've ever felt…even when I was human what I felt for you was more. If it wasn't, then I wouldn't be here with you right now." Moving her hands to hold his face, she lifted his head so his saddened eyes could look into hers. "I am not going to leave you. Not now, not tomorrow, not in a year, or even a hundred. I can't, Damon, because when you're not around, I feel like a piece of me is missing. You drive me bat-shit crazy half of the time and the other half all I want to do is stay in bed with you for the next decade. But one thing hasn't changed, and that's the love I feel for you."

In a rare moment when his defenses were lowered, Damon asked, "And all of the showing off to the gruesome twosome has nothing to do with you harboring feelings for Stefan and trying to make him jealous?"

She looked at him sympathetically, "Of course not, Damon. I don't love Stefan like that anymore." He didn't look as convinced as she hoped, so she tried, "You know how I can be so sure that my feelings for him are never going to come back?" He raised a brow in question. "Because I fell in love with you when I was still technically with him. That wouldn't have happened if I loved him the way I love you. We are meant to be together, Damon. I know you feel it. Please, don't fight it."

Abandoning the bottle, Damon pulled her into his lap and hugged her tightly. She always managed to soothe his anger and mend his bad moods. She ran her fingers through his hair like she always did and she had him purring in seconds, nuzzling into her neck. After changing into more comfortable clothes, they crawled beneath the mountains of blankets, wrapping themselves inside of them to ward off the freezing temperatures until it would take the jaws of life to free them from the tangles of fabric and limbs.

Elena lay on her stomach half on top of him, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she traced patterns over the exposed skin from the buttons on his gray Henley t-shirt. His arms were wrapped securely around her waist, keeping her body tight against his as he kissed her forehead a few times.

"When did you fall in love with me?" He asked softly, his lips brushing her hairline.

She smiled at the memory. "My eighteenth birthday party. You gave me back the necklace that Stefan gave me because you knew how much it meant to me, even if it hurt you to do so. You were completely selfless in that moment, proving how much you loved me. You put it on me and when I turned around, all I could think about was how much you meant to me. It was then that I realized I was in love with you."

"That was so long ago…" He frowned slightly, and she brought her hand up to his lips to brush away the expression.

"It was, but like you said, it wasn't the right time. It's right, right now." She reached up to kiss him tenderly and when they separated she asked, "So when did you fall in love with me?"

"When did it happen, or when did I realize it? Because I have no idea when it happened. Sometime between our trip to Georgia and watching you risk everything for the people you cared about. But I realized it when Isobel said it as much as I hate to admit that. Then I struggled with it, before finally coming to terms with the fact that I fell in love with my brother's girl. That was the night I compelled you."

She smiled up at him, "You really do have a big soft spot for me."

He winked, "Only you."

"Forever." She added. "Only you, forever. For both of us."

He nodded in agreement, brushing her hair behind her ear in a repeating pattern, "Big day tomorrow. We should get some sleep. Prepare for the worst."

"You mean brace ourselves for Silas somehow escaping and wreaking havoc on the world? Can anyone ever really be ready for that?"

Damon chuckled, "Fine, then if he escapes, you have to promise me something."

"Hm?" She questioned, her eyes growing heavy from his soft touches.

"You and me are going to get the hell out of dodge, everyone else be damned. We can run away to some remote island where nobody will ever find us and live the rest of our existence together. If they want to come, so be it, but it's their decision."

She giggled lightly, "You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Salvatore."

* * *

"That was a charming little love confession last night." Rebekah commented to Elena as they packed up their things the next morning. "Though it was a bit too cheesy rom-com for my taste. I prefer my romance to have substance rather than whatever marginal emotion you're calling it."

Elena had done so well the entire trip. She hadn't lashed out or said something in retaliation. She hadn't given Rebekah a single reaction that she wanted, and she had done a pretty good job of ignoring her for the most part. But she just couldn't stop the words from slipping out before she could catch them, not that she regretted them.

"At least my life has romance, unlike whatever twisted fuck-buddy relationship you've formed with the guy who's still in love with me."

Rebekah's expression turned cold and stony, and Elena was thankful that they were the only ones paying attention to their conversation. Stefan had gone hunting for animals with Damon since they weren't allowed to go anywhere alone. And then there was everyone else that wouldn't be able to hear them.

Elena smirked slightly and continued, "Pathetic, isn't it? You're what, a thousand? And here you are, so bitter and lonely and unsatisfied in your romantic life that you feel the need to attack an eighteen year old girl's. And you know why you're so alone? It's because you're a terrible person that lies, hurts people, and sides with her sadistic brother when he's kept her dead for centuries." Rebekah's body radiated anger unlike anything else, and it was more satisfying than it should have been. Elena shrugged, "But hey, what do I know, right? After all, I'm just a damsel in distress that has the world waiting at my feet to save me."

With her tent all packed up, Elena slung her backpack over her shoulder and eyed the mess of tarps and poles at Rebekah's feet with distaste. The blonde's jaw was so tight Elena wasn't quite sure how her teeth were still in her skull and the metal pole in her hands wasn't snapped in two.

As she walked towards the others, she threw over her shoulder, "Little tip. The tent goes in the bag."

The snap of the tent pole from behind her caused a smug smirk to settle comfortably on her lips. That ought to shut her up for a while, and Elena had plenty more where that came from if she needed to use it.

When the guys got back a few minutes later, Rebekah had finished putting away the tent so they all began day two of their journey. Bonnie's spell should still be holding Klaus for the rest of the day and probably some of tomorrow, so they needed to get a move on before he could come find them. Not that he even knew where they were without Jeremy's tattoo and the sword to decode the location, but yet again, Stefan's stellar ideas put them in another bind. Rebekah's probably been texting Klaus the entire time, or at least when she gets cell phone reception, which is rare in such a deserted place.

The hike through the woods didn't last long, and soon they came to a huge ravine. The steep cliff looked unstable and daunting, and of course the mine they were looking for was at the bottom. The three mortals began the trek down the narrow pathways carved into the cliff while the vampires opted to jump down. Elena and Damon hand in hand, and Stefan and Rebekah on their own.

The four vampires headed inside the above ground area to have a look around while they waited for everyone else to arrive. It wasn't like they could do anything without them anyways.

It looked like it hadn't been used in a century. Dilapidated mine carts, ancient looking tools, broken gas lamps, and a pulley system above a huge hole that looked about as safe as Klaus's temper.

"So this is where the ancient pain in the ass is buried…" Damon mused, looking around at everything.

"Well my guess would be that he's buried beneath us, Damon." Rebekah smiled sweetly. "But I'll let it slide because you've got such a pretty face."

Apparently Rebekah decided that if she couldn't get to Elena about Stefan anymore then flirting with Damon was the way to go.

She was dead wrong.

But again, Elena let it go. With her big mouth, she'd give Elena the perfect opportunity to really hurt her with words soon enough.

Elena turned to Damon, "So Jeremy just has to kill Silas with any old method, right? It's not like he needs a special weapon?"

Stefan answered instead. "Silas isn't a vampire, so wood has no effect on him. Jeremy can only kill him by decapitation or removing his heart, either of which is only possible when performed by a Hunter."

"But it shouldn't be that hard, right? I mean, Silas has been desiccated for millennia…"

"That's the plan." Stefan confirmed. "Assuming nobody gives him blood to wake him up, he'll be easy to kill."

Before Elena could psych herself out with all of her frazzled nerves, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Shane arrived and broke up the conversation. Shane had brought a new pulley system used for rock climbing to use to get down and up, so while he hooked it up above ground the vampires jumped down the hole.

The mine, if you could even call it that, looked a lot like the tomb back in Mystic Falls. The only differences were the lack of a creepy door and the ceilings were raised and carved in a dome-like shape out of the rock, probably blasted by dynamite once upon a time. It was dark, and though none of them needed light to see, Stefan and Damon lit some torches and positioned them on the walls until it was bright enough for the non-vampires to see.

There were several openings with old railroad tracks leading down them, but Elena doubted that Silas was down any of them. If any of those miners that claimed to see their lost loved ones actually found Silas's body, more people would probably know about the place. Instead their hallucinations were chalked up to dehydration and delirium rather than anything supernatural.

Jeremy came down first, then Bonnie, and finally Shane. As they began preparing for the spell, Shane explained, "When the spell is cast, it will open up a passage leading through a short series of tunnels that will take you right to Silas. However, the catch is that Bonnie has to stay out here and hold it open. The second her magic stops, the doors close, including the one to Silas's tomb, so she and I will have to stay out here. And for my part of the deal, I will be bringing my wife back to life as well as anyone any of you want back. All it takes is some of your blood and Silas has promised to free those trapped on the other side."

Elena shared a look with both Damon and her brother, and it was obvious to all of them that Shane was out of his mind. But, as soon as Bonnie finished casting the spell, his purpose would be nonexistent and they could do with him whatever they wanted. They just had to hope that they could kill Silas and get out of the tomb before Shane realized that he wasn't going to get his wife back and snapped.

Playing along with his insane plan, Damon said, "So then get to it, professor."


	15. Chapter 15

Lots going on in this chapter. Probably the most plot in a single chapter in this entire story.

* * *

Bonnie stood in a pentagram drawn in the dirt with symbols at every point that would be used to channel the power to cast the spell. Jeremy stood with her in the design, shirtless and ready for his tattoo to be gone. Shane was nearby to coach Bonnie through it, and everyone else was off to the side to watch.

The professor said, "Once Bonnie begins the spell, I will start my blood sacrifice with the unlocked power for my wife. Silas will bring her back, and after that, you all can go kill him and I'll make sure Bonnie's safe."

Elena laced her fingers with Damon's as the spell began. She was nervous; something was going to go wrong. She just knew it. Nothing ever goes according to plan for them, and she had to be prepared for whatever was coming. Damon squeezed her hand back, and she hadn't even realized that she had been keeping him in a death grip.

Bonnie swallowed thickly before raising her hand to Jeremy's suddenly muscular chest, and pretty much everyone could sense the sexual tension between the two. She closed her eyes and whispered something under her breath that not even a vampire could hear, and the ink slowly began disappearing. As if her hand was absorbing it, in a few seconds his body was once again tattoo free and he stumbled back out of the pentagram. Bonnie's hands were held out in front of her as Shane instructed her on what to do and how to keep her power under control. Jeremy hurriedly put his shirt back on and moved to stand next to his sister.

Stefan pulled out the headstone and handed it over to Shane, and he gave it to Bonnie. She placed her hand on top of it, chanting the words to the spell, and blood starting oozing out of it, dripping onto the ground.

The sound of rocks scraping together and rumbling as they fell drew their attention to the far wall, and a few large rocks crumbled to the ground and a stone door was revealed. On it was inscribed some sort of symbol that not even Rebekah could decipher, if her curious look said anything.

It slowly slid open and all of the torches around them flickered from light to dark until the door stilled, then they returned to the gentle flames they had been. The smell of blood struck the vampires' senses and they all whipped around to look at Shane, who was now bleeding from his hand.

Elena was the first to speak up, "Jeremy, go. Damon, Stefan, you go with him. I'll stay here with Bonnie to keep an eye on them, and Rebekah you should go too. It couldn't hurt to have an Original around just in case."

She raised a brow, "Not afraid I'm going to betray you?"

Elena shrugged, "With two other vampires and a vampire Hunter around, I figured they could thwart any of your attempts."

"Charming." She deadpanned, then turned to Jeremy. "Let's get a move then, shall we?"

The four of them headed into the passage, Jeremy leading the way with Stefan following last. Elena listened to their footsteps in the back of her mind as she moved to face Shane and watch how that disaster was going to unfold. Bonnie stood still as a statue with her eyes closed and hands out, the headstone now nothing more than a puddle of blood at her feet.

Shane moved to the side of the cavern, dripping blood from his hand onto the ground. Elena could smell it, and it called to her, but she refrained knowing that the herbal undertone to it was vervain. He looked up to the ceiling and mumbled, "Caitlin? I'm here. For you, and for Sam!"

Elena frowned, wondering who Sam was. Not that it really mattered; he wasn't going to be getting anybody back.

"Silas, you have my blood like you asked! Please, give me my wife and son back like you promised!"

So Sam must have been his son. As sad as it was that he lost them both, Elena's sympathy was limited.

"Silas!?" He yelled louder, and Elena glanced at Bonnie to make sure her concentration hadn't been disturbed.

It hadn't. She supposed it was one of those things were it was like she was in a trance and only moving her could rouse her.

"Do it!" Shane yelled. "I did everything you asked!" Elena's attention was drawn back to him, and his gaze shifted from the ceiling to right in front of him. "Caty? I came for you just like you said." He stepped closer and held his arms out as if embracing someone, but there was nobody there.

Maybe he really was talking to her…like Jeremy when he saw ghosts. But if he was, then wouldn't Elena be seeing her lost loved ones? She quickly looked around, but didn't see anything strange.

"Tell me what I have to do." Shane said, then paused as if listening to her response. "What? No, no, no! But Silas said…no! NO! He promised!" Shane whirled around to look at Elena then his wild eyes darted to the entrance. He ran over to it and Elena was prepared to stop him and keep him out until he stopped on his own. He yelled into the tomb, "You can't kill Silas, he lied! He's not bringing my wife back and I need more time to renegotiate!"

He really was pitiful for believing for even a second that an ancient immortal would ever help him for no reason. Elena cut in, "Shane, no, we can't stop now! Silas is never going to bring her back! No matter what you do, she's gone, and so is your son, and you can't change that!" She sped over to him and grabbed his shoulder, keeping him from sprinting off into the tomb. He needed to be out here for Bonnie anyways.

"No, no!" He shouted, then began frantically looking around. He ran over to his backpack mumbling, "I can't let Silas die, he's the only one that can do this!"

He suddenly pulled out a crossbow and aimed it at Bonnie. Elena's eyes went wide and she was in front of him in an instant, yanking the weapon from his arms and throwing it to the ground a few feet away from them.

She didn't have to time to yell at him for trying to kill Bonnie, because he was already pulling out a stake from his sleeve and jamming it into Elena's chest. She doubled over in pain, realizing that it had gone all the way through but luckily missed her heart. She tried to pull it out, but it was too painful and too close to her heart to risk pulling it out just any way. She looked to Shane and saw that he pulled out a knife from his pocket and was moving towards Bonnie. Elena crawled across the ground towards him, using all of her strength to grab his ankle and pull him to the ground.

"You can't do this, please!" She begged, choking out a gasp when the stake scraped some organ she was sure was important.

"They can't kill Silas yet and there's no other way to stop the spell until he's dead! Silas will keep Bonnie here, holding open the door until he's out, and I can't break his hold until she's snapped out of the trance!"

"So you're going to kill her!?" Elena growled, clawing at his shirt to keep him from inching closer to her best friend who was now only a foot away. "Sorry, but Silas is going to die today!" She ground out, still trying to get high enough to reach his neck. She could pull him away from her best friend then by choking him and forcing him away.

Shane's hand darted out and grappled for the crossbow that was now within reach. Elena watched in horror as he reloaded it with a wooden stake and aimed it at Bonnie. "I can't let him die yet!" He screamed, and Elena knew that it was now or never. Either she could stop him, or he was going to kill Bonnie.

"No!" She cried out, forcing her body to move through the pain. She shot across the ground and took Shane's head in her hands. There was no room for hesitation, because all it would take was one second for it to be too late.

So she twisted.

And she heard a loud, resonating snap.

Then everything fell silent.

* * *

Damon heard Elena struggling with Shane, and it took everything in him not to go to her. He was just a human; Elena could easily handle him. He needed to be inside of that tomb with Jeremy to make sure his brother and the Original bitch didn't do something to screw everything up. He was the only one Jeremy could trust, and they both knew it.

When they heard everything go silent, Damon breathed a sigh of relief. He could hear Elena's soft pants if he strained hard enough, so he assumed she got Shane under control.

He returned his focus to Jeremy in front of him. The tunnels they were going through could only fit two people standing next to each other, so they went single file, Jeremy carrying a torch and leading the way. They hadn't walked that long before reaching another opened door, and inside sat a large stone slab with a horribly dried out corpse sitting atop of it.

"That Silas?" Damon asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Certainly looks old enough to be him." Rebekah commented. "He's practically a pile of dust! How could someone this old and decrepit be able to make people hallucinate? He's in no shape to move a single finger let alone control someone's mind."

"Unless that's what he wants you to think." Damon pointed out.

Jeremy spoke up, "No, that's him. I can feel it, if that makes any sense. He can't get in my head like he can with everyone else; I know it's him. It is kind of my destiny to kill him, not to sound like a smartass."

"So then kill him already, Van Helsing." Damon quipped, motioning towards the practical skeleton.

Rebekah raised her brows, "How are you even supposed to find his heart let alone kill him?"

"Don't need his heart." Jeremy said, taking off his backpack. He unzipped the main compartment and pulled out a long dagger, unsheathing it to reveal a sharp and shiny blade with the Hunter's mark carved into it.

Damon's eyes went wide, "Didn't realize you took my nicknames so seriously, Jere."

He rolled his eyes, "I didn't tell anyone about it because you didn't need to know. My instincts told me that when I killed Silas, this symbol had to either be on the weapon or on the hand that pulls out his heart. Since the tattoo is gone now, I came prepared."

They all stepped back as Jeremy raised the small sword, and in one swift motion he swung it down and Silas's head crumbled away from his body. Within seconds, what used to be his corpse disintegrated into nothing more than a pile of dust. Jeremy could physically feel his curse lifting, his body growing weak and his vision blurring.

He braced his arms on the edge of the stone platform for a moment then said, "It's done. The curse is gone. Silas is dead."

Rebekah raised her chin, "Brilliant. Let's get out of this hell hole then, shall we?"

She turned on her heel and headed back into the tunnel, and Stefan and Damon followed. Damon looked back at Jeremy when he realized he wasn't immediately following and Jeremy said, "I'll follow in a minute. I have to put the sword away."

Damon nodded, and when he was out of sight Jeremy uncovered a small box that had been buried under the dust and held it up to the light to get a better look. He didn't know what it was, but his guess was that it was what Klaus wanted. The less people that knew he had it the better.

"I'm surprised you actually pulled this off."

He whipped around only to see his sister standing in the doorway. He frowned slightly, wondering why she wasn't out with Bonnie and Shane.

"What do you mean?"

She stepped forward with a confidence that struck him as odd, and then when he got a better look at her in the light he realized it wasn't his sister at all.

"Katherine."

She smirked and her hand shot out to wrap around his neck, "Surprise!" She grabbed the box from his hands and restricted his airways so he couldn't breathe. "It was so easy to just sit back and let all of you do the hard work for me. This will be very useful to me, and it was very sweet of you not to tell anyone about it when you saw it. You made my job a hell of a lot easier."

He clawed at her hand, trying to take in just one deep breath of air, but she made sure that he could only get in enough air to stay alive.

She turned her cold stare onto him and smirked, "Now that you're no longer a Hunter, compelling you will be a piece of cake." Her pupils dilating, she said, "I was never here. You put your sword away then left, there was nothing in Silas's remains but ashes."

He blinked, and she was gone. Instantly his hand went to the leather band around his wrist filled with vervain. Scrambling to get his things together, he hurried out of the tunnel.

* * *

After Damon left Jeremy, he followed Stefan and Rebekah out of the tomb. It was starting to get a little too quiet in the cave for his liking, and he was getting worried about Elena. As soon as the opening came into sight, he scanned the space for Elena. His heart dropped to his stomach when he saw her lying on the ground with a stake sticking out of her chest, struggling to get it out.

He blurred to her side instantly, "What the hell happened?"

Her hands were shaking, her cheeks were tear stained, and all she could do was cover her mouth and shake her head. Thinking that it was the pain, he grimaced at how badly it was going to hurt her before latching onto the stake and yanking it out in one fast move. She cried out, but as soon as it was gone she was just breathing heavy as her body repaired itself.

Mindful of Stefan and Rebekah watching with disinterest or curiosity or whatever, he pulled her to his chest to calm her cries. He whispered into her hair, "You're okay, everything's going to be okay."

She shook her head in his embrace and sobbed, "I killed him, Damon."

He frowned before automatically shifting his gaze to Shane. The pang of emotion he felt at the sight of his dead body was regret that he hadn't gotten to kill him himself.

"He was going to kill Bonnie, I had to." She cried, and he held her tighter and shushed her sobs.

The only thought going through Damon's head in that moment was how Elena was going to recover from this. Every vampire kills someone at some point in their life, but Elena…she was too loving and caring to ever do that. He could practically feel her pain as if it was his own, deep and cutting. She'd never killed anyone before, and he cursed himself for never thinking to talk to her about it. Maybe he could have better prepared her for when the inevitable came, and then she'd be able to cope a little better.

But Elena made the right call. Professor Shane was the conductor of the crazy train, and his next stop was insanity. Elena did him a favor. Now he could be with his wife. Besides, she did it to save Bonnie, and there was no shame in that.

He just had to convince her of it.

Jeremy came barreling out of the tomb and Damon looked to his brother, "Get Bonnie out of her trance so we can get out of here."

Stefan nodded and moved towards Bonnie, placing a hand on her shoulder and lightly shaking. Suddenly the wind picked up even though they were underground and swirled all around them. The torches began flickering again and her mumbling got louder. Stefan tried calling her name and shaking her again, but it only made things worse. Loose rocks began falling and it even got Elena's attention; or at least enough to get her to stop crying.

Stefan tried once again to get Bonnie's attention by shaking both of her shoulders, but he was thrown across the room by some invisible force. Damon knew it was bad, and with Shane dead, there was no telling what could happen. If anything went wrong, Elena would never forgive herself.

Desperately, Damon looked to Jeremy and motioned with his eyes at Bonnie. If there was anyone that Bonnie trusted and that was in their right mind, it was Jeremy.

He nodded and hurried over to her, shouting over the howling wind, "Bonnie! It's me, it's Jeremy! Everything's going to be okay, but you need to stop casting the spell!" He was slowly inching his way closer, and when his shoes broke the pentagon surrounding her, the wind seemed to die down just a little. "You can do this without Shane, Bonnie, you don't need him to control you! You're strong, you have control of yourself!"

"Oh, god…" Elena whimpered, her lower lip trembling as she realized just what the implications of killing Shane were. This was her fault, and she didn't know what she'd do if anything happened to her best friend because of her.

Damon pulled her back into his chest as she started crying once again.

Jeremy continued talking to Bonnie, carefully getting closer and closer until he was finally able to touch her. As soon as his hand landed on her shoulder, her eyes flew open and the wind stopped. The torches returned to normal, and rocks stopped falling. Bonnie collapsed into Jeremy's arms and he held her tight.

The stone door slammed shut so loud that the entire cave shook, and a huge boulder fell from the ceiling at the impact. Then another followed, and another.

Cursing, Damon lifted Elena into his arms and said to Stefan, "You and Ancient Barbie get Jeremy and Bonnie out of here before this whole place collapses."

He nodded and the two of them hurried over to Jeremy and Bonnie while Damon went to the rope hanging down from the entrance. He jumped up the twenty or so feet to the entrance and carried Elena outside. He managed to convince her to stand on her own and set her down on two feet before going back to make sure everyone else made it out alive.

Rebekah was already standing there with Jeremy and Damon motioned for them to go outside. The loud rumbling of rocks falling signaled that the place was still collapsing, and Stefan appeared with Bonnie in his arms a few seconds later. He set her on her feet and she seemed more alert now as they all ran outside.

A few moments later, the floor inside of the mine fell down, caving in on the room.

It was over.

Damon turned to survey the damage. Stefan and Rebekah seemed fine. Bonnie looked slightly shaken up, which was to be expected. Jeremy was alright as well, trying to talk to his sister who had a blank look on her face. At least she stopped crying, Damon thought wryly.

He walked up to her and lifted her chin to meet his gaze, "Good?"

As he dried her teary cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt she nodded, "I'm fine."

Red warning bells went off in his head. Damon had been alive long enough to practically master the female gender. Whenever they said, 'I'm fine,' they were anything but fine. They were just dismissing the conversation because they didn't want to talk, and there was nothing he could do to force Elena to say something.

Instead he nodded then said, "Let's go home, then."

* * *

The plane ride back to Mystic Falls was pure torture. With as much money as the Salvatore's had, getting their own private jet was a piece of cake. However, that also meant that nobody had to watch their behavior in front of any humans, which meant they were free to discuss whatever they liked.

Jeremy was passed out with his head phones in, music playing softly. Bonnie was seated next to him, her head lolled against his shoulder once she drifted off. Rebekah had once again decided that she was going to do everything possible to annoy the hell out of Elena by flirting with Damon, but she barely noticed, instead she was too stuck inside of her own head. Damon was really worried about her, unlike everyone else. She finally had fallen asleep in the seat next to him, and Rebekah had almost instantly stopped with the flirting. It was pathetic, really, Damon thought tiredly.

Now she was doing her own thing, reading a book while listening to music and Stefan was fast asleep. Damon could tell because his baby brother wasn't breathing.

Aside from listening to his girl breathe, there wasn't a damn interesting thing to do, but that wasn't why it was torture. It was torture because Elena was hurting, and Jeremy had been acting strange before Bonnie convinced him to fall asleep. Given the bad luck Damon's had in the past, he wasn't entirely sure that the whole ordeal with Silas was really over. Call him a pessimist, but could you blame him?

He just had to figure out what the hell was wrong with Little Gilbert, and deal with it as it came.

Since the kid was asleep, Damon focused his attention on Elena. Her heart was pattering softly in her chest, much slower than it had when she was human, but still the same rhythm. Her head was resting against the window and her seat was tipped back slightly. Her face was filled with peace and calmness, a complete opposite to what he knew was going on inside. He moved his hand to her thigh just for the contact and she didn't move a muscle.

She was strong. Yeah, she just killed someone for the first time, but it was nothing she couldn't come back from. Shane wasn't even that great a guy. He was shady as hell, manipulated Bonnie into practicing dark magic, and tried to kill her. He should have died long ago if they hadn't needed him.

Elena would bounce back from this. She just needed some time.

Damon automatically thought of his first kill as a vampire. He had killed as a human in the Civil War, so when he drained that girl Stefan brought him, he hadn't even blinked. The times back then were different; he had been praised for fighting for his side and killing the Union soldiers rather than frowned upon for killing someone in general.

Now he had to convince Elena that what she did wasn't bad. It was necessary. God, he sounded like his father and he hated it.

Movement from across the aisle a row in front of him caught his eyes, and Jeremy stretched his arms over his head. Bonnie had been carefully moved off of him, and Jeremy stood to presumably go to the bathroom.

But instead he locked his eyes with Damon's and nodded towards the front of the plane. Damon frowned, but stood and followed the kid after making sure Elena was still fast asleep. Damon crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, waiting for Jeremy to spit it out.

"You know how Klaus wanted Silas for some sort of object that would give him more power?"

Damon narrowed his eyes, "What about it?"

He ran a hand through his hair, "Well, after everyone left and I was alone in the tomb, I found it in Silas's ashes. It was in a small box."

Damon shrugged, "Great, so we have it which means Klaus can't get it."

"That's the thing…we don't have it." Jeremy said, dropping his gaze to the floor.

Well if they didn't have it, then who could? They were the only ones on the island, especially the only ones in the tomb…

"Then who has it?" Damon asked skeptically.

Jeremy glanced back at Stefan and Rebekah who both seemed blissfully unaware of their conversation then whispered, "Katherine."

"You're kidding." Damon said through narrowed eyes. "Not a funny joke, Jeremy."

"It's not a joke." He hissed quietly, his eyes widening. "She tried to compel me now that I'm not a Hunter and the curse was broken, but I'm still wearing vervain. She took it from me and left."

"She was on the island?" Damon asked in confusion more to himself than Jeremy. "How the hell did she know about anything?"

Who knows? Katherine always had her ways, Damon thought bitterly. The bitch just didn't know when to quit, and with some magical object that could give someone Silas's powers, she absolutely needed to be found before she sold it to Klaus for her freedom.

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming on. He hadn't fed in a while and once they landed he'd need a bag or two. He exhaled, "Alright, fine. I'll deal with it. Was that all?"

He nodded and returned to his seat, leaving Damon to fume alone. Katherine just couldn't leave it alone. She always made others do her dirty work then swooped in at the last second and ruined everything. Now, not only did they have a seriously pissed off Original hybrid free from a containment spell after them, but they had a psychotic ex-girlfriend out to trade their lives for her own slice of freedom.

Could it get any worse?

And of course because the universe just loved to prove him wrong, that was the moment when his brother woke up and began sending him death glares. When he sat back down next to Elena, he could practically feel his stare burning holes in the back of his head.

He could just never catch a break. If it wasn't Klaus, it was Katherine, and if it wasn't either of them, there was someone else to start trouble.

At least this time around he had Elena.


	16. Chapter 16

This one is...interesting ;)

* * *

Elena felt lost. Lost in her own head, in her own body—not physically lost. She knew exactly where she was in that respect. She just didn't feel like herself anymore, kind of like she was just watching herself go through the motions.

She woke up every morning in her bedroom, downed a blood bag before school, went to class, came home, drank some more blood, then went to sleep. She had been on repeat for weeks, ever since they got back from their mission to kill Silas. Everyone looked so worried about her, and all it did was piss her off. Caroline seemed to be avoiding any talk of the supernatural around her. Bonnie was walking on eggshells. Jeremy kept conversations light and short, not daring to ask if she was okay because he knew how much she hated that question. And there was Damon…

She'd been ignoring his calls ever since they got back. She just wanted to be alone, and she knew that he'd never grant her that privilege. That was why she locked her windows and doors at night. Just in case he tried to come over, which he had, he'd get the message loud and clear.

Elena just couldn't bring herself to be around him when she wasn't really herself. That was the girl he fell in love with, and she just didn't feel like her anymore. It was ironic; Damon was the one that brought out the girl she used to be before her parents died, but this time, all he did was make her feel guilty, like she shouldn't be different or act different because nothing bad had happened, at least in his eyes. But something bad did happen.

She had killed somebody.

And she didn't know how she was going to come back from that. Sometimes she felt okay with the thought. Her inner demon would roar that she did the right thing for survival, and she believed her. If she hadn't killed Shane, Bonnie would probably be dead.

But then her conscience comes in and scolds her, shouting that she could have knocked him out or done something less harmful. Shane didn't have to die; he was just a grieving widower and father driven to desperate measures by the pain that Elena understood perfectly.

Long story short, she was warring with herself, and there was only one thing that seemed to make it stop, even just for a few seconds.

Blood.

Every time she fed, the stress melted away and she felt like she could breathe. Her clouded mind cleared right up and all she could feel was a sense of fulfillment. Her hunger was satisfied for a while, and she felt tiny shreds of happiness stringing together to form real emotions.

But as soon as the bag was empty and she was out of blood, the feeling fled and she was left with the same dark guilt as before. It was consuming. It made her mind race with thoughts of any family Shane had that would never see him again all because of her. She was the one that took his life away when he didn't deserve it. If she could take it back, she would in a second, but she can't. She would have just knocked him unconscious instead by slamming his head against the rocky ground. Or she could have tried harder to restrain him.

She hated thinking about it because there was nothing she could change now.

She killed him, and she had to live with it.

The only problem was that she didn't know how.

It was late. Probably around five or six in the morning. Maybe that made it early, but she had never gotten to bed, so she stuck with late. She could see the dark blue almost black sky shifting to a slightly lighter blue on the horizon from where she was perched high in a tree in the woods overlooking the falls. Her heel hit the trunk every time she swung her leg, and the bark was uncomfortable against the back of her head, but she ignored it.

This was the only time she got to have to herself. If Jeremy wasn't home under the disguise of doing homework when really he making sure she didn't snap, then Caroline or Bonnie were over. Damon comes over every once in a while, but doesn't stay long when she doesn't say a single word to him. She doesn't say much to anyone, really.

Her heart was screaming that by ignoring him she was hurting him, and true as that may be, it wasn't enough to make her feel okay about the fact that she murdered a human. Even if she did talk to Damon, all he would do was try to convince her that it was okay, but it wasn't. It shouldn't be, either. She shouldn't feel okay about killing anyone.

That was why she was stuck. She knew that it was wrong, but everyone else seemed to think it was right. They didn't think about what it would do to her as a person; all they could see was a problem that she eliminated, and what could possibly be wrong with that?

"Only everything…" She mumbled to herself in annoyance.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket with a text from Jeremy asking where she was. The last thing she wanted was to go home and get treated like a mental patient about to snap. She wasn't going to snap. She just needed time to sort through her thoughts and feelings and come to terms with the fact that she was now a murderer.

No big deal, right?

She scoffed out loud along with rolling her eyes, and as the sun broke the horizon she twisted her ring around her finger. It was freezing outside, but the sun would soon warm things up. It was now early February, so there was still a bit of winter ahead, but with the snow melted already it felt as if spring was right around the corner.

A noise from several hundred yards away caught her attention. She chalked it up to a couple of deer until she heard voices. She wondered why there people out this early in the middle of winter, but shrugged it off. They sounded like hikers talking about navigating through the woods.

Her stomach rolled with hunger that seemed to be present much more often than when she was human and she sighed, knowing she should go home. Not only did she need to feed, but Jeremy noticed she was gone. He would only worry, and she didn't need to give them all a reason to keep her on lock down. It's wasn't like she was suicidal.

Standing up on the branch, she brushed off her jeans and stepped off. She fell gracefully to the ground nearly fifty feet below her and landed lightly. She could practically taste the blood she had at home. She had a bag of O negative that was calling her name. Wistfully, she remembered what it was like to feed from actual people that time she'd been at Whitmore with Damon and Bonnie.

Nothing could ever compare to the euphoria of fresh blood. She loved everything about it. Finding the right prey, luring them in, watching the moment they realized that she wasn't human and fear took over…she could taste the adrenaline in their blood, and it was like pure heaven. Her mouth was watering just thinking about it. Maybe she and Damon could go out soon and do it again, assuming he was still talking to her whenever she pulled herself together.

Or maybe she could just have a little taste right now…those hikers were still close enough to hear. One man, one woman. She knew how to compel and control herself. It would be a piece of cake.

Without giving it a second thought, she sped off in their direction. Feeding from humans didn't even hurt them anyways. She felt it when Damon drank from her the right way; it was indescribable. Few things had thrilled her like that.

She would just tap their veins and drink a pint or two, then she'd compel them to go home and rest and be on her way. Easy as that.

When the couple came into view, Elena flashed in front of the man first and compelled him. "Don't move, don't scream." Then before the woman even knew what was happening, Elena compelled her, "Don't make a sound."

Elena pushed the woman's hair away from her neck and removed her scarf, tossing it the ground. The gentle thrumming of her carotid artery was calling to her, just begging to be torn into. Feeling her fangs drop and her eyes tingle, Elena glanced at the fear raging in the woman's eyes but she felt no remorse as she ignored it and sunk her teeth into her neck.

Blood gushed into her mouth, the woman's heart pounding rapidly from the pure fear she was feeling and it was sending all of the blood straight into her awaiting mouth in mere seconds.

All of Elena's guilt and pain vanished into thin air, making way for the elation that lately eluded her. She gripped onto it tightly and drank greedily, feeding the hunger that burned hotly deep inside of her. The monster inside of her growled possessively over her victim, and it urged her to keep drinking.

She needed more. More blood would fix everything. When it was fresh and hot like this, it made her forget why she was even hurting in the first place. It took away all of the bad and invoked everything good. Her body sang with satisfaction, a stark contrast to anything she had felt for days. There was nothing else that mattered besides her and the blood, and she would do anything to keep it coming.

When Elena's main blood source suddenly stopped giving her the blood she craved, she zipped over to the other source mere feet away and buried her fangs in his neck messily. She guzzled his blood down like an addict that had gone days without a fix. It coated the inside of her mouth and slid down her throat, reawakening her senses and revitalizing her body.

Everything was better with fresh blood.

And she didn't want things to ever go back to the way they were.

Gasping for breath, Elena released the man when there was no more blood left to drink and immediately her senses went into overdrive looking for the next blood source. She closed her eyes and groaned when she realized that there was no more human blood around. A few squirrels, but she couldn't keep that horrid sludge down.

Her fangs retracted and she wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. Not much had dripped down her chin; she was far too greedy to let any go to waste.

Then her eyes caught sight of the lifeless bodies on the ground.

Horror washed through her, squeezing around her heart and making her stomach twist with disgust. Her mind refused to believe what had just happened. It couldn't be true, could it? She listened for their heartbeats, and the reality that there were none felt like every awful thing that ever happened to her all wrapped up into one scenario and thrown in her face.

If she thought she knew pain before, she was wrong. This was pain.

And then, suddenly it wasn't.

The pain seemed to dull until it she couldn't even remember what it felt like. Her tears stopped falling, and the cold breeze quickly dried them until her cheeks stung from the cold. Eying the bodies lying bloodied and dead on the ground seemed barely worth a second glance.

What had she been so upset about?

Feeling her phone buzz once again in her pocket, she pulled it out only to find another text from Jeremy asking if she was okay.

Why wouldn't she be okay? Hell, she was great! She was a vampire! She could do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted! She didn't even have to worry about some parental figure trying to stop her!

A smirk curling at the corner of her mouth, she texted back, I'm fine, just wanted some air. Don't wait up for me tonight, xoxo

Did that even sound like her? She shrugged and shoved the device back in her pocket. She eyed the two bodies distastefully, considering whether or not she should bury them. It would take quite a while, and she didn't have a shovel…she was in the middle of nowhere anyway, nobody would ever find them. And even if they did, that was what animal attacks were for, right?

She blew out a laugh at the thought of Mystic Falls having to cover up another vampire attack. Bless the soul that coined the term 'animal attack.' Without them, this place would be a ghost town.

Practically skipping with excitement for what was to come, she made her way back to town. Bars didn't open until at least noon, right? That meant she had a while before she could have her fun.

* * *

Damon reluctantly put one foot in front of the other, a brand new bottle of bourbon dangling from his hand as he trudged down the path he had gone out of his way to avoid.

Cemeteries were always depressing as hell. Seriously, would it kill someone to make it a little brighter and livelier? Dead people in general were depressing, but he had no one else to turn to.

He never wanted to remember his loved ones by a rock in the ground. He had always preferred to skip the funeral and hold onto the memories he still had of when they were alive and well, living life and having a good time. Not when they were dead and deteriorating, their bodies preserved by some god-awful mix of chemicals while strangers stared down at the oddly colored corpse.

Or in his case, gray and veiny and bleeding out of their chest.

He grimaced at the memory and sat down on the stone bench, the coldness seeping through his jeans and sending a chill through his body. He sighed and cracked open the bottle, knowing he was going to need a few shots just to get himself started.

After gulping down a few good mouthfuls, he capped the bottle and set it next to him. Then he forced himself to looked down at the polished stone marker and smiled to himself.

"Damn, Ric, thanks for leaving me to take care of all the kids. I gotta give you credit, you made it look a hell of a lot easier than it is."

Jeremy was doing about as well as your average teenage boy could be doing, which was actually pretty damn good given the kid's life.

Bonnie and Caroline were alive, which was about as much as could be expected from him.

Damon didn't even want to get into Stefan, because that was a can of worms he wasn't quite ready to loathe himself over.

Last but not least, as always, there was Elena. His little kitten was what inspired this trip in the first place. With her lost in thought and grief, he hadn't known what to do with himself.

That sounded so awful once he thought it. It wasn't Elena's fault she was hurting, and while it killed him, she wouldn't let anyone help her. He didn't know if it was pride, or some kind of downward hate spiral where she was trying to isolate herself, but she wouldn't listen to a word he said. She'd never ignored him like she was now, even after he killed her brother. She had been pissed then, maybe a little hurt, but she forgave him. This time around, he didn't even do anything and he didn't know how to help her.

He was never good at all of that 'talking' shit that his brother seemed to be an expert on. He didn't know the right things to say or what to do in a situation like this. He had spent so long not caring about anyone but himself that he quite literally didn't know how to care about another person.

Caring means building relationships, and relationships mean expectations. Need he go on?

But with Elena…it was easy. She didn't expect anything from him that he couldn't promise to give. Now, it felt like he was alone again, and he found that he truly hated it. He had a taste of what being in love for real was like, with someone that genuinely loved him back, and without that…well, there was just no point.

He knew Ric was gone, and not coming back. He was his drinking buddy, partner in crime, go-to sidekick for fighting evil vampires, and best friend. He missed him like hell, but if talking to a rock was the only way to spend time with him, then he'd do it.

It was already dark outside, so he was just sitting in the pitch black. Elena had texted Jeremy earlier that she was going to be out all day and probably night, and while her behavior had him worried, he knew she wanted to be alone. If his unanswered calls and texts said anything, it was that he shouldn't track her down either. Was that what he was supposed to do in a situation like this? Let her be? Normally, he would've been sniffing her out like a bloodhound and dragging her back to the house to force her to talk until she was over it.

But was that really going to help her? Or just hurt her more?

He let out a long breath, tipping his head back against the tree. The sky was littered with stars, all twinkling softly next to the crescent moon.

Caroline had called him earlier today. Something about asking him if he saw Elena to tell her that they were releasing lanterns for all of their lost loved ones. He could have sworn they'd done that before, but had shown up for the hell of it. He didn't dare show his face; he just watched as Barbie, Witchy, the Quarterback, and Little Gilbert named everyone they'd lost before lighting up a paper lantern and letting it fly into the sky.

He scoffed, "Floating lanterns in the sky… You believe that?" He had listened to Vampire Barbie give this whole speech about them. "Japanese lanterns—it's a symbol of letting go of the past. Well, here's a newsflash." He uncapped the bottle again and took a swig, this time leaving it open. "We're not Japanese."

He rolled his eyes at the memory, wondering just how high the cliff Blondie was dropped off of as a baby was. He was glad he didn't go. Throwing a flaming heap of paper into the sky wasn't a way to honor those they'd lost. The only way to do that was to actually talk to them. Maybe keep a picture of them around. Hell, he didn't know, but it definitely wasn't with some lantern.

"You know what they are? Children."

Hence, why he was left with 'the kids.' They had no idea what it was like to live as long as he had and the kind of grief he's had to go through. Their menial issues were nothing. Caroline lost her father? Well at least she had one that loved her. Bonnie lost her grams? At least she knew her grandparents. Jeremy lost two girlfriends? Try dying for the woman you love then being deceived by the ancient bitch for a century and a half. That hurt a hell of a lot more than losing two people that actually cared about you. And Donovan—at least he still had a mother.

"Like lighting a candle is going to make everything okay, or even saying a prayer. Or even pretending that Elena's not going to end up just like the rest of us murderous vampires. Stupid, delusional, exasperating little children."

Another shot down the hatch.

"And I know what you're gonna say… 'It makes them feel better, Damon.' So what? For how long? A minute? A day?" He looked down at the headstone covered in short burned out candles and dried out flowers and shook his head. "What difference does it make? Because in the end, when you lose somebody, every candle, every prayer, is not going to make up for the fact that the only thing you have left is a hole in your life where that somebody that you cared about used to be."

He stood up and moved in front of the grave marker, downing a few more gulps of bourbon, then added, "And a rock, with a birthday carved into it that I'm pretty sure is wrong."

He rolled his eyes and turned away, returning to the bench. He sat down with a heavy sigh and let a few long moments of silence pass before continuing.

"On the bright side, I got the girl." A smile tugged at his lips, imagining Ric's reaction. He'd give him the whole over protective father speech for sure, but it would be done with a smile the entire time. Then they'd get drunk later and Ric would be blubbering about how happy he was for him and how he had to treat Elena right.

"At least I think I did." Damon said more softly. "She's not doing so hot, buddy. I don't know how to help her, or if I just need to let her figure things out for herself. All I want to tell her is who the fuck cares that Shane is dead, but I can't, because it's Elena we're talking about here. She's too kind and loving and caring for her own good."

Shaking off the negative thoughts, Damon grinned, "But I got the girl, Ric. Granted, your evil twin killed her and turned her into a vampire, but she still loves me. Has for a while, apparently. So go ahead, give me your speech about not hurting her and I'll pretend to listen. Hell, I'll even throw in a few promises too. I just gotta get her back first, and then you can lecture me."

The only problem was how he was going to do that. He didn't even know where she was let alone what she was thinking. He really needed to just talk to her and figure things out. He couldn't imagine that she'd be that hard to find. If she wanted to be alone, there were only a few places where she could do that and not have anyone find her.

Figuring he should probably get a move on if he was going to find her, he stood up and drank the rest of the bourbon until there was only a quarter of the bottle left. He held it up to Ric then dumped it onto his grave, "Here's to you, buddy. Until we meet again, either in this crazy life or the next."

* * *

"Woooo!" Elena cheered, raising her arms above her head as she swung her hips to the beat.

Countless whistles, shouts, and catcalls surrounded her and she basked in the attention, something she never would have done when she was human. Back then, she was weak, and insecure because her parents were dead. But now, she was anything but. One look at all of the men literally at her feet, dousing her with alcohol and it was hilariously obvious that she was hot stuff.

Dancing on a bar top never felt so good, and she didn't even need to compel the bartender to let her. He was pouring all of the drinks she was luring in, raking in the cash. If anything, he should be paying her!

The spine chilling guitar solo of some heavy metal song began blaring through the speakers and Elena downed the rest of her drink before tossing the glass into the hands of the awaiting bartender. She rocked her hips to the beat, swiveling back and forth as she slowly lowered herself to the counter and the cheers got increasingly louder.

It wasn't like she was the only woman in the bar, but she was certainly the only one the men wanted. It would make this next part so much easier.

"Who wants to buy me my next drink!?" She shouted with a grin, and almost instantly a drink was shoved in her hand as everyone cheered her on. She downed it in one go.

Looking through the crowd, she carefully chose her victim. He had to be hot, that much was obvious. No women; they're just not her cup of tea—at least for what she's planning on doing with her victim. No overweight men, no overly drunk ones either, and definitely no guys with piercing blue eyes.

Then she spotted him. The perfect looking guy, leaning against a high-top table near the back drinking a bottle of beer while watching her. He had light brown hair, shorter on the sides than on top, and a cleanly shaven face to expose his chiseled features. His eyes were a warm brown, much like her own, and his biceps were straining against his shirt sleeves. He'd do nicely.

She trained her gaze on him and pasted on the most seductive look she could muster up. When his smile grew slightly, she winked, then looked away.

When the song ended, Elena jumped down from the counter and slipped through the crowd, giving every attractive guy a look for future use. She reached her target that was standing alone at the table and sauntered up to him, her heels clicking on the floor as her jean-clad hips swayed seductively. She was only wearing a thin camisole on top, so her breasts were practically spilling out of the top, and she smirked a little when the man's gaze dropped to them for a split second.

"Can I buy you a drink?" She asked, flashing her sex eyes at him. It was so much more fun to toy with her prey rather than compel them. That way when they realized what a mistake they made, the fear in their blood was all the more sweeter.

He raised an amused brow, "You want to buy me a drink?" She nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder and pressing her hips against his. His heartbeat picked up just the way she wanted it to and he smirked, "You sure it's the drink you want?"

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and dropped her gaze to his mouth, holding it there for a few seconds before returning to his eyes. Then she leaned in close and whispered, "You caught me. Meet me in the back alley in five?"

He smiled, eyeing her up and down, "Make it now, and you've got yourself a deal."

Oh, it was too easy, Elena thought evilly. She grabbed his hand and led him through the bar towards the exit by the bathrooms. As soon as they were outside, she had him pressed up against the wall and her mouth was on his. He quickly spun them around and she grinned against his lips at his attempt at having the control.

Clearly he'd never been with a woman that liked being dominant, no less a vampire.

She flipped them back around in the blink of an eye and caught his gaze, compelling him, "Don't make a sound." As her fangs lengthened and the skin around her eyes began to tingle, he opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. He tried to shove her away to run, but she held him in place with both of her hands against his shoulders. Without a second's hesitation, she buried her fangs into his neck, slicing open his veins so the blood poured into her mouth. She drank ravenously, keeping his heartbeat in the back of her mind as she reveled in the feed.

When it started to flutter, she withdrew her teeth and pulled back, running her tongue over her lips to gather every last drop of blood. The guy was still struggling against her, though it was much weaker now, and she eyed the messy wound with casual disgust. She had to learn how to get better if she didn't want to always have to feed her victims her blood.

He was slowly dying, and she rolled her eyes. Such a waste of her time. She could be in there seducing her next victim, but instead she's out there having to heal him.

She bit her wrist and forced it against his mouth, letting her blood flow down his throat. When his wound started healing, she compelled him, "Go home and get some rest. You don't remember anything that happened tonight because you had a little too much to drink."

He started absently walking towards the parking lot and she slipped back inside to find her next blood source.

She repeated that process until she was sure she was drowning in blood. She was in a blissful haze where nothing could hurt her, because there was no reality. She was floating in a land of dreams, destined to stay there until she damn well felt like coming down. It was a high like no other, especially when she didn't give a shit about anything else happening around her.

She felt so light and free; for the first time since her parents died, she didn't have a single care in the world. Not even the lips of strangers pressed against her body could elicit a single ounce of emotion.

Sprawled out on top of a pool table in one of the private back rooms, a man was kissing her neck, laving his tongue over her pulse point while his wandering hands groped her breasts. She had one hand on the back of his neck, keeping him in place while her other was latched around the wrist of another man, bringing it to her lips to have another taste. This man was already covered in bite marks, and the sight awakened the monster within her, dying to feed and fuck and follow every primal instinct in her body.

That's why when the same man's other hand slid between her legs and cupped her through her jeans, she spread her legs and wiggled her hips to encourage him. Her shirt was bunched up around her chest, exposing her bra-clad breasts for the man fondling them, and the other was kissing her stomach, swirling his tongue around her belly button while rubbing her firmly. The other man latched onto her nipple, sucking it in his mouth and soon the other came up to lick her other one. She released his wrist to let out a deep moan, bucking her hips against his hand.

Why on earth had she never had a threesome before? Surely the Salvatore brothers would be interested; they were both in love with her, after all. She smirked evilly at the thought, and suddenly the two men trying to ravage her body just weren't doing it for her anymore. She knew what she wanted, and she was going to get it.


	17. Chapter 17

This one picks up right where the last chapter left off

* * *

Shoving the two men away, Elena compelled them to forget about tonight and rearranged her clothes. Soon enough, she was flashing through the woods back into town. Well, not into town, because the boarding house was out on the edge, but at least back into Mystic Falls.

When she arrived, Damon's car was missing, causing her to pout a little, until she figured that he'd be back soon, and if not, she could just entertain herself with Stefan. His car was there, but as she walked inside, she quickly deduced that he wasn't home. Probably out hunting, she guessed, and stepped outside into the backyard. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to see if she could catch the scent of animal blood. There was no point in hanging around if that's not where he was.

Then she caught it, and smirked deviously.

Deciding that if she was going to convince them into carrying out her desires she was going to need to really pull out the big guns, she began heading up the stairs towards Damon's room. He had the best shower, and with the blood dried all over her face and neck, she was going to need a long one. Especially since the boarding house was the only place with vervain free water to bathe in.

Pulling her hair up into a messy bun so it wouldn't get wet, she turned on the water and stepped under the scalding spray. She quickly washed herself, even daring to dip her fingers between her thighs when the ache put there so long ago was still so persistent. With any luck, she'd have a whole new kind of ache down there by the end of the night. She rubbed herself until the scent of her arousal was just about the only thing that could be smelled, and only then did she pull her fingers away. She wanted one of the brothers to finish her off; it would be much more satisfying.

As soon as she shut off the water, she heard Damon's car pulling into the driveway. She smirked even wider when she heard Stefan's voice followed by Damon's. They were arguing about her, but she couldn't care enough to really listen. She was fine, and definitely didn't need either of them to take care of her or even worry about her. Hell, they could do whatever they wanted, because nothing mattered anymore besides feeding and fucking.

Maybe they'd even let her have a taste of their blood…

Their voices continued to grow louder and louder as they argued, coming up the stairs. She guessed that Damon was trying to walk away from the conversation but Stefan wouldn't let up. They just make it too easy.

She stayed completely silent, so much so that not even a vampire would hear her, and waited in the bathroom for the perfect opportunity. They were now in Damon's bedroom, and she decided to actually listen to what they were saying.

"Because it's my fault she snapped the creep's neck!" Damon argued.

"It's your fault because you weren't there for her after it happened!" Stefan barked, sounding angry.

Ooh, angry sex. Angry sex with both Salvatore's…was it her birthday?

Damon scoffed, "Oh, you don't get to lecture me on not being there for her after all you've done. You're forgetting that while you were the one breaking her heart, I was picking up all the pieces and putting them back together!"

"Is that what you're calling it?" Stefan asked in disbelief. "Because from where I'm standing, she—"

"Am I interrupting something?" Elena asked innocently, walking out of the bathroom in all of her dripping wet, naked glory.

She noted with great interest both of their reactions. Stefan quickly diverted his gaze, ever the gentleman, and coughed awkwardly. Damon, his polar opposite, looked at her with wide eyes, unabashedly staring at everything she was offering them. Stefan then looked back at her, and tried desperately—and adorably—not to look at her bare body, but he failed. Miserably.

Shrugging innocently, Elena said, "What? It's nothing neither of you have never seen before."

They were speechless, and she loved their reaction. Perhaps persuading them into this would be easier than she thought…

The easiest one of them to get on board would be Damon, by far. He was so much more experienced in sex, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Stefan wasn't quite as open to experimentation. He would be her first target, because if she could convince him, then they could pull Stefan in too.

Sauntering up to the black-haired blue-eyed devil, she trailed her fingers down his chest to brush against his groin, which she noted was already hardening. "What do you say we have some fun tonight?" Flashing her most seductive look, she looked to Stefan and added, "All three of us."

She giggled at the bewildered looks on their faces. They were trying to figure out what was going on, which meant their guards were down. She grabbed Stefan's hand in the blink of an eye and shoved him onto the bed, straddling his lap and pinning his arms above his head.

"Don't make me do all the work, here…" She taunted, rocking her hips seductively.

"Okay, that's enough." Damon said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and picking her up.

She squealed in delight, "Aw, come on, Damon, you have to share me too!"

He threw her over his shoulder and flashed them into the bathroom. His hand was around her throat as he pressed her into the wall and hissed, "What the hell do you think you're doing here, Katherine?"

"Katherine?" Elena chided. "Ouch. I thought you of all people would know better, but I guess we are identical, after all. I can't really blame you."

His eyes widened and he released her neck, but she stayed in place, moving her hands to his shoulders to try to physically coax him into playing with her.

He shook his head dejectedly and whispered, "What did you do?"

Biting her lower lip, Elena whispered back, "I fixed myself. Now either fuck me, or I'll go see if Stefan wants a turn." If that was her definition of fixed, then he didn't want to know what broken was. She shoved him away from her when he failed to touch her, and he watched with disappointment as she strutted back into the bedroom and called, "Oh Stefan? Where did you go, lover?"

He didn't know the woman in his bedroom anymore. That wasn't his Elena. That was an emotionless bitch that didn't care about anyone but herself.

Easy to see why he assumed it was Katherine, right?

Except even before he made that accusation, he knew it was Elena. Call it blind hope, but he didn't want to believe she had really flipped the switch.

But as he listened to her call for his brother to come join them in bed, he knew that his worst nightmare had just come true.

He wanted to keep Elena as far away from the bad side of being a vampire as possible. It wasn't realistic, and now he was regretting that decision, but it was the only way he could think to keep Elena from breaking. If he would have just talked to her about the switch before, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe he would have been able to give her some idea of what it was like and how it wasn't worth it.

But he failed her. He never thought that she would even consider flipping it, but he should have known that killing a human would send her over the edge. He never should have let her out of his sight. All of this could have been avoided.

His mind was racing with every possibility of how to get her to turn her emotions back on. There was no way that he could actually let her keep living like that; once her emotions were back on she'd be irreparable. He knew what leaving the switch off for too long could do to a person, and it wasn't pretty. Eventually, it would be nearly impossible to get her to turn it back on. The longer she went without feeling, the worse off she'd be when she came back to them.

And that was why the sooner they could reach her, the better.

Now, what was a sure fire way to get her to feel? Which emotion would she react to the best?

Sure, he could lie to himself saying that his love would be enough to bring her back, but he was no fool. Love wasn't enough to bring a person back from not feeling. No positive emotions were. If you wanted a reaction, then you had to dig deep for the most painful thing that could happen to that person.

As much as he didn't want to hurt her, he had no other choice.

Perhaps he should try grief. Or maybe sorrow, hell, anger might work too. Or better yet, what if he could combine all of them into one, giant super-emotion of pain that would force her to feel?

Well, before he could even start concocting that plan, there was something he needed to do.

Listening for her, he surmised that she was still hunting through the house for Stefan. As much as he didn't trust his brother, the one thing that he'd never do was take advantage of her. He would avoid her like the plague so long as she was like this.

Whipping out his phone, he dialed Jeremy's number.

"Hello?" He mumbled out, as if he was in the middle of eating.

Damon ground out, "Jeremy, I know you're not exactly a stellar student what with all of the drug use, but couldn't you at least have rubbed those two lingering brain cells together enough to know that your sister has completely gone off the deep end while you decided to trust her very new, and very irrational vampire instincts?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked more clearly this time, seemingly unaffected by Damon's tone. He made a mental note to scare the kid a little more to keep him on his toes.

"I'm talking about the person that just walked into my home suggesting that my brother and I have a threesome with her. Now, unless I was desiccated for the past few years and have no memory of what Elena is really like, you need to tell me what in the hell happened to make her flip the switch."

There was a long pause before Jeremy said, "Her emotions are off? She seemed fine, I mean, quieter than normal but she had killed that Shane guy…I didn't think she was that bad off…"

Damon rolled his eyes so hard he gave himself a headache. For being her brother, the kid really was clueless. Gritting his teeth, he managed, "Okay, how it happened doesn't matter. All we have to do now is bring her back, and I'm going to need your help with that."

"Just name it and consider it done." He said.

Damon smirked to himself, "You'll regret those words one day, Little Gilbert."

* * *

Elena exhaled deeply, closing her eyes against the dark, starry sky. The cold, hard asphalt from the road beneath her dug into her bony shoulder blades, though she simply placed her hands on her stomach and blocked out the slight discomfort. Nifty little trick that switch was.

Suddenly, anything she didn't want to feel, she didn't have to feel. No more grief. No more guilt. No more pain, betrayal, anger.

All she felt was…content.

And that was more than she'd felt in a long time.

Never before had all of the other bullshit been tuned out. Sure, she'd been happy. That lazy morning she spent giving herself over to Damon, mind, body, and soul had been a happy moment. But that wasn't the only thing she felt.

She felt the guilt of taking so long to admit her feelings for him. She felt the shame for the way she treated him while with Stefan. She felt frustration at the way she was unable to tell him the she loved him until long after that.

The list went on and on.

But now, none of those niggling feelings seemed to hum in her mind. They were all locked in a box, tucked away into the deepest, darkest parts of her mind where not even Damon could reach them.

Right where she wanted them.

After the Salvatore's refused her advances, she decided that they weren't worth the struggle. She certainly wasn't going to get on her knees and beg, because that would require desperation, and that was a feeling exclusive to those that can feel.

She hadn't know what to do after that. Showing her face around town was a no go. By now, everyone and their sister probably knew that her emotions were off, and the second someone saw her they'd drag her back home to try to talk some sense into her. Or maybe they'd even go so far as to torture her into feeling.

She smirked a little at the thought of one of them trying to torture her. They all loved her too much to ever hurt her too bad. Besides, it wasn't like any of them would ever kill her. And that was what made torture work, right? The fear of death was a powerful tool to those that wanted to live.

Elena had wandered through the woods for a while, but quickly deduced that the smoldering fire in her stomach that was hunger wasn't going to be satisfied out there. She got lucky yesterday morning by uncovering those two hikers. So instead of wandering around aimlessly until the sun rose, she had flashed over to the nearest road and sprawled out on her back, staring into the darkness above her.

Oh how she longed to go somewhere else where she wouldn't have to lie in a filthy road to find her next fresh meal. She could just imagine what it would be like to live in a big city where nobody knew who you were and you could so easily blend into the shadows. She could kill as many people as she wanted because in a place inhabited by millions, they were just another face. Nobody would ever notice a nobody had gone missing; not like in Mystic Falls where even out-of-towners were noticed.

She wondered how hard it would be to just—leave. Stand up and start running away from Mystic Falls, see where the road took her. She could drift through the country feeding until red was the only color she could see. She quickly turned that idea down though, because that would get boring fast. She was already bored of partying in bars, and she'd only done it once.

No, that would never entertain her.

What she needed…was a partner in crime. Someone to join her. Someone that wouldn't give a damn about morals or emotions and would be willing accompany her around the world, feeding and fucking as she went. Male or female, it didn't matter in the slightest. She just needed someone that fit the bill and wouldn't try to 'fix' her. Besides, it wasn't like the two of them would never feed and fuck simultaneously. She could imagine herself and a best friend—female, of course—traveling the world and luring men into their clutches to feed from and then fuck. And if her companion happened to be male, well, that was pretty self-explanatory.

While that would be fun, simply nobody here would do. She'd probably have to pick them up along the way, maybe even turn them herself.

The sound of a car driving along the road in the distance caught her attention and she silenced her thoughts. She waited patiently as the hum of the engine grew louder and louder, then it softened as the driver spotted her in the road and slowed down. They didn't shut the car off; they just put it in park and opened the door before their frantic footsteps approached.

Her eyes were open now as she stared blankly ahead, not bothering to look at the woman kneeling next to her, asking if she was hurt. The woman touched her shoulder, shaking slightly and again asking if she had any injuries, and Elena gave in.

She looked over to the woman and frowned slightly, "No, I'm not hurt."

"Then why are you laying in the middle of the road?" She asked curiously. Her auburn hair flowed neatly around her shoulders, her skin pale and smooth. She was young, and her guard was down probably since Elena was female and not a possible rapist. Her heartbeat was steady and free of panic, but that would soon change.

Elena sighed, "Well, it's a long story. One I'm not in the mood to retell."

Her perfectly plucked brows drew together, confusion clouding her hazel eyes, "Oh, um, well do you need a ride somewhere? I'm heading towards Mystic Falls, I can drop you off somewhere there and you can call a friend for a ride if that's not where you're from…"

She smiled softly, "You're offer is sweet, but what I'm interested in from you isn't a ride."

Faster than the girl could blink, Elena wrapped her hand around her throat and blurred them to a standing position. Her fangs tore into the soft, milky skin of her neck, the girl's screams slicing through the calm air sharply. Elena relished in them. They only spurred her on, making her dig her teeth in harder to get more cries of pain so loud that they could be heard for miles. It was a good thing nobody was around to hear.

Eventually the agonizing screams quieted, and her body went limp as Elena gulped down the last of her blood. There was something completely unsatisfying about feeding from someone who wasn't struggling…

She shoved her body to the ground as she cleaned the corners of her mouth, and she whirled around at the sound of a voice from behind her.

"If you were going to go on a killing binge, you could have at least called me first."

She rolled her eyes at Damon, saying, "Oh please. You've gone soft, Salvatore. You haven't killed anyone without a reason in months."

He narrowed his eyes at her words, not liking how true they were, but he wasn't going to admit that to her. "Then what do you say we change that?"

Eying him closely, she considered what his angle was. Damon wanted her emotions back on; of that she was positive. How he was going to go about doing that, she had no idea, but she knew she needed to be careful if she didn't want him to win.

She raised a brow, "You want me to believe that you're suddenly giving up the halo to start killing again? I know the wicked innocence routine, Damon, it's not going to work. No matter what you do, you're not going to get me to turn my humanity back on."

He shrugged simply, "Okay. I never expected to get you to turn it back on. What you feel for me right now is nothing. Maybe some lust, or a lot of lust, but nothing else. Isn't that right?"

"What are you getting at?" She asked cautiously, her mind racing with why he was suddenly being like this.

Smirking, Damon said, "I'm saying that Mystic Falls has just about run its course, don't you think? A sleepy little town like this gets boring real fast. I know you're not going to flip the switch back on for me, and I'm not asking you to. All I'm asking is that you accompany me on a little road trip across the country. Do whatever you want, kill whoever you want, feed from anyone you want. You won't find any objections from me."

"A road trip?" She asked skeptically. "And I'm supposed to believe that you don't have any diabolical plans you'll be executing behind my back?"

"Would you really care if I did?" He countered knowingly.

"Only if this is some convoluted scheme to get me to turn my emotions back on." She shot back confidently.

He blew out a short laugh, "Honey, I don't give a shit what you do with your humanity. It's your life, and you know that I'll love you no matter what. If that means you want to live without emotions, so be it. We can agree on one thing though, and that's that Mystic Falls will never be enough for us. So much bullshit to tiptoe around. I came to this town for one sole reason, and that was to destroy my brother's life. Seeing as how he's done a swell job of doing that on his own, I'd say it's about time to move on to the next great adventure."

She had to admit, his offer sounded appealing. She definitely didn't trust him, but did it really matter? She didn't care about him; he could do whatever the hell he wanted and it wouldn't bother her. And she did like the idea of getting to see Damon in a setting outside of this place where he had to keep himself in check…the man that first came to Mystic Falls seemed so much sexier and desirable now that she knew what it felt like to be so free from trivial emotions.

Feeding around the country with Damon painted a pretty picture in her mind, one that she couldn't deny was tempting. And if Damon did have some ulterior motive, so what? She wouldn't let it affect her, and it wasn't like he could ever hurt her.

A smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth, she said, "You've got my attention."

"Then what do you say?" He asked. "Leave this place in the dust and come with me to a place where you can feed until your heart gives out and nobody will ever know."

"What kind of place is that?" She asked curiously, recalling her earlier thoughts about wanting to get out of town.

He smirked sinfully, a lazy expression on his face, "New York City, baby."

* * *

"Can you believe my brother left me, again!?" Rebekah complained, storming into the boarding house like a bat out of hell. Stefan looked up from the fireplace, a rare glass of scotch in hand as he watched her. She stomped her feet on the floors and huffed, "He followed that little wench all the way down to New Orleans without bothering to tell me otherwise!"

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, confused.

She put her hands on her hips and glared, "I'm talking about that backwoods, dirty werewolf that's now carrying my brother's child!"

Okay, clearly Stefan missed a few details before that bomb was dropped on him. He stared at her in disbelief, opening and closing his mouth a few times before shaking his head, "Come again?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes, "Can't you keep up for once in your life, Stefan? That Hayley girl that Tyler brought back slept with my brother, who then got her pregnant because he is half werewolf, therefore apparently able to reproduce."

As interesting as that new tidbit was, Stefan failed to see how it had anything to do with him or why Rebekah was in his home. At least this meant Klaus was otherwise occupied, therefore leaving all of them alone.

"And this concerns me because…" He drawled, narrowing his eyes.

"It doesn't." She sneered. "My family's business is absolutely none of yours, but I'm pissed off and you're available, so entertain me."

It took Stefan all of five seconds to decide that he had nothing left to lose by sleeping with Rebekah, so when she kissed him, he just went with it.

They ended up spending the afternoon in his bed, indulging themselves in purely physical sex. Maybe back in the twenties Stefan had felt something for her that had the potential to turn into something more, but after meeting her family and knowing the consequences of involving himself with them, he had no desire to pursue anything serious with her. And maybe he did enjoy the way it pissed off Elena, but that had run its course. Besides, the things Rebekah was saying to her were just plain cruel, and as angry as Stefan was and still is, he couldn't just let everything keep sliding.

Rebekah was a good fuck when need be, but that was all she'd ever be.

Besides, Elena had her emotions off and didn't care about anything. That was more important to fixate on than a naked Original vampire in his sheets.

He couldn't believe he had just thought that.

Still, after Elena chose Damon over him, he found her lack of humanity more important than sex with a beautiful, willing woman.

He wasn't even sure if he still wanted Elena back. She and Damon would break up at some point; he knew that was inevitable. Damon was incapable of having a functioning relationship, and he'd screw it up eventually. But how could Stefan possibly still pursue her when she had deliberately made the wrong choice?

Stefan had been hurting for months as he watched her gallivant around with his brother, tiptoeing the line between friends and lovers. Could he really just forgive her like that and take her back the next chance he got? Didn't he have more self respect than that?

There was no shortage of hard feelings between him and Elena, and as much as he wanted to tell himself that he wouldn't forgive her for them so easily, he knew that it wouldn't be as hard as it should be. Elena was the love of his life; if she ever wanted him back he wouldn't hesitate.

Before he could get too ahead of himself, he shut those thoughts down and climbed out of bed, pulling on his jeans and t-shirt. While Rebekah proved a good distraction to keep his thoughts from wandering to the fact that Damon has taken Elena across the country to do god knows what, it didn't last forever. He needed a drink, so with one last glance at her sleeping form he went downstairs to steal some of Damon's booze in the wine cellar. His stuff was always stronger, and it wasn't like he needed it right now. Hell, he was probably fucking Elena as the thought crossed his mind.

Scowling, Stefan grabbed a bottle of something expensive looking and hoped that Damon would miss it. When he returned to the parlor, Rebekah was awake and lounging on the couch in nothing but his t-shirt. And yes, he knew there was nothing else, because she had one knee bent as her foot rested on the couch, lifting the shirt to show off everything she had down south.

Damn, and here he thought he could get an hour to be alone. But then again, what would he really do during that hour? Brood over Elena and Damon? He was sick of doing that, and if he was going to get drunk, then it might be more fun with some company. Especially the kind that's always down for sex.

Wordlessly, Stefan filled two glasses with a generous amount of the dark amber alcohol and handed one to Rebekah as he sat across from her. She smirked when his gaze not so subtly dropped to between her legs, and she raised an amused brow when his eyes met hers again.

"Thought you could sneak out of bed without me noticing?" She asked playfully, sipping her drink.

Stefan shrugged, "Like I really care."

She eyed him curiously as he stared into the flickering flames dancing in the fireplace. His jaw was tight, his shoulders tensed, and his eyes cold as he hid his emotions. "For a guy that just spent the last three hours getting laid, you sure seem tense."

"I fucked you to pass the time, not relax." He hit back, causing a twang of emotion to slice through Rebekah's chest without her permission.

Maybe her feelings for the man weren't what they were in the twenties, but no girl liked to hear that they were being used.

Coldly, she said, "Well you should really try to relax sometime, Stefan. Maybe it could loosen up that stick in your ass and conversations with you would actually be tolerable."

She stood and made to leave, making it to the edge of the room before she heard Stefan sigh, "Wait." She rolled her eyes to herself, wondering how a guy as nice as him could ever get anything done. He was a pushover. All she had to do was fake a hurt tone and he was crawling right back to her.

He didn't care about her personally, of that she had no doubts, but he was a caring person by nature. He didn't do well with hurting other people's feelings.

She turned around, though didn't move any closer, and crossed her arms, waiting for him to continue.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be so harsh. I'm just frustrated, you know?"

She padded back over to the couch and sat down, crossing one leg beneath her and reaching for her half filled glass. "Still letting the wonder couple get to you I see. Perhaps you should learn to let go. I've found that avoiding attachments to love has worked rather well for me."

Stefan looked at her skeptically, "So avoiding love is why you stayed around Klaus for a thousand years?"

She gritted her teeth, "That's different. Family's different."

"And Damon's family, as much as I hate it sometimes." Stefan sighed, leaning his head against the back of the couch to look up at the ceiling. "From the day we turned he made it his mission to make me miserable because I forced him to turn. He was so hell bent on dying because Katherine was dead, and she was the reason he wanted to turn. Well, he should be thanking me for it. Katherine was alive, and he spent his existence trying to free her as opposed to dying without her. I didn't deserve half of the stuff he's put me through over the years."

"Welcome to the club." Rebekah agreed, gulping a good amount of her drink. "I've done nothing but love my brother, yet when it came down to it, he would put a dagger in my heart rather than trust me to help him."

"My brother spent the summer seducing my girlfriend and winning her over while I was living through Hell to save his life."

The words spoken out loud felt like a small weight being lifted from his chest. He'd never voiced a single one of those thoughts, knowing that if they ever got back to Elena she'd hate him. If he couldn't have her like he wanted her, then he'd settle for friendship, so long as he didn't lose her.

"You say that like it's all his fault." Rebekah commented. "I think you're forgetting that your dear Elena had a say in it as well. She's no martyr, certainly no better than the rest of us."

Stefan narrowed his eyes slightly, observing her obvious distaste for the girl. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous of an eighteen year old newbie vampire."

"And I'd say you're in love with one." She shot back. "So I guess we're both at fault here for even giving a second of our time to someone as useless as her."

Stefan blew out a laugh, "You're at fault, Rebekah. I love her. You can't help who you fall in love with, but you have no business being jealous of her. If it weren't for her being the doppelganger, she'd be a nobody just like every other human. Is that really who you're jealous of? A human?"

Rebekah would sooner cut off her own foot than admit that yes, she was jealous of a human. Any human, really. To get to live a life that meant something, that was normal where she could go to high school, graduate, move on to college, meet a nice boy to fall in love with and marry, then start a family in the suburbs with a couple dogs was all she'd ever wanted. She loved children, and had always wanted them. She yearned to be a mother, and have a man that loved her the way he should, that made her happy and would grow old with her. That was the dream; not being a blood sucking demon for the rest of eternity until one of the countless people you've wronged finally discovers a way to kill you.

Instead, she finished off her drink and said, "You're right, I suppose. Why on earth would I ever want to live some mediocre life only to shrivel away and die before I reach the next century?"

Clueless as to her true feelings, Stefan stared at the ceiling again and exhaled, "Besides, you're a better option to share my bed with than Elena right now. It was like looking at Katherine when she showed up here trying to take me to bed."

"And you denied her?" Rebekah questioned, her brows furrowed. "For a man claiming to have found his soulmate, you sure aren't trying too hard to win her back."

Stefan rolled his eyes, "Her emotions are off. All she wants from me right now is sex, if she's bored enough, and there's nothing I can do that will make her turn them back on."

A slow smile curved across Rebekah's lips at the tidbit Stefan unknowingly just shared. Keeping casual, she said, "That makes it all the more fun, don't you think? Just imagine all of the kinky sex you two could be having. Maybe she'd even turn her emotions back on once you got her in bed and showed her how much you love her."

He shook his head, "When she turns them back on, she'd regret it. I won't take advantage of her now and get my way only to have her hate me for it in the future."

"Well she's got to turn them on sometime. Maybe you just need to be there when that happens. She'll see you and go running into your arms like some kind of cheesy romance movie."

A cheesy romance movie that will never be Rebekah's reality, no matter how badly she wished it would.

Stefan chuckled, "This is the real world, Rebekah. Elena's probably in bed with Damon as we speak. He decided to take things into his own hands and take Elena to New York. I guess there's some bar there where Damon practically lived at in the seventies while Lexi tried to get him to turn his emotions back. He's hoping he'll have luck there, unlike Lexi, who almost died because of him. And then he did kill her, by the way."

"Your brother's a dick, I think we can all agree on that." Rebekah said, barely able to contain her giddy smirk.

She just found her weekend plans.


	18. Chapter 18

So my version of Elena in New York is a little more...daring. You'll know what I mean when you read this ;)

* * *

Watching Elena take in New York City for the first time, even without her humanity, was something Damon would remember forever.

He had lived a long time and lost a lot of innocence in that duration. Seeing Elena's eyes light up and her wide smile illuminate her features felt like a little bit of that child-like wonder was coming back to him. She looked like a kid at Disney world, an all-you-can-eat candy shop, and the world's biggest playground all at once.

The first time he had been to New York he had a similar experience. Mystic Falls had nothing on the Concrete Jungle. From the skyscrapers that seemed to touch the heavens to the millions of people as diverse as it gets, it was almost an otherworldly experience, especially to a vampire whose senses can pick up every little detail at lightning speed. Keeping one eye on the small-town girl sitting in the passenger seat, he watched her fall in love with the city he called his home for the better part of the past century and a half as he navigated through the streets.

He made a lot of friends in the time he spent there, bouncing between vampire friendly bars and clubs and meeting others just like him that had nothing better to do with their time. If they were going to exist forever, then they were going to do whatever the hell they liked.

But during that time, he wasn't just existing. He had been waiting for the comet to release Katherine. He wasn't like them then, and only his closest friends got to know that he had been waiting for his girl.

He wondered if any of them were still alive and kicking. They'd sure get a kick out of finding out Katherine had never been in the tomb.

After driving through the night with Elena, it was now midday so the traffic wasn't god-awful yet. It was a good thing too, because his patience was running thin. Between the never-ending Spanish Inquisition Elena bombarded him with about his intentions and her shitty taste in music, he was at his wit's end.

So maybe he had other plans than simply letting Elena run free in a new city, but she didn't need to know that. And his plans weren't entirely focused on getting Elena's humanity back. He had another reason for coming to New York as opposed to any other big city where vampires thrive off of the population.

However, when he chased down his leads, Elena was the last person he needed by his side. He couldn't trust her now when she'd do whatever she wanted without caring who got hurt. She could ruin everything.

He needed to do this alone, and lucky for him, ditching her for a few hours was going to be a piece of cake.

Damon drove them into the heart of the city, parking a few blocks away from Times Square. Elena was still watching the city thrive all around her with the innocent eyes of a young girl, and he had to remind himself that she still was a young girl, despite the hand of cards life dealt her. There was still so much she didn't know; so much she had yet to experience…he wanted to be the one to show her it all.

Starting with New York.

Stepping out of the car, Damon walked around to join Elena on the sidewalk and said, "Here we are. NYC at its finest." He gestured around them, glancing at all of the buildings that towered above them and the steady stream of people moving down the sidewalks, despite the cold weather.

"It's…amazing." She said softly, barely able to meet his gaze for longer than half a second before her attention was caught by something else.

He gave her a lopsided smile, "Why don't you go check it out? I got you here like I promised, and I doubt you want me tagging along. Go ahead, explore the city, do whatever you want. The only rule is that you can't let anyone know you're a vampire."

She rolled her eyes, "That's a given, Damon."

He shrugged, "Just be careful when you're feeding from someone in a place like an alley where anyone can walk by. Other than that, have fun. Meet me back here say, around seven?"

Raising a brow, she skeptically said, "That gives me six hours to do whatever I want in a city that could swallow me whole. You're not going to follow me around?"

He chuckled, "I'm not your babysitter."

"But aren't you going to make sure I don't do anything stupid?" She asked through narrowed eyes.

"Like what, kill someone?" He laughed. "Sorry kitten, but we're way past that, don't you think?"

"But—"

Finding her distrust comical, Damon cut in, "You're not worried about being alone, are you? Or maybe you're nervous that I'll be mad at you for something you do. Oh, I know, could it be that you don't actually want to hurt someone, and you're scared that you'll hurt people without me there to stop you?"

She scoffed a little too quickly, "No!"

He smirked widely, "Careful Elena, your emotions are showing."

Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away. If that didn't get her to leave him, then he didn't know what would.

He walked through the city taking random streets and stopping in random stores and buildings until he was satisfied that she really had left. Only then did he begin walking with purpose towards his first lead.

Back in the seventies, he had spent what was probably the entire decade here in New York with his emotions off. He was having a blast too, until Lexi decided to drop by and take it upon herself to try to get him to turn his humanity back on. With nothing better to do, he decided to play a little game with her. See just how good he was and get a little revenge too for her relentless pestering. After a couple months of her feeding, drinking, and dancing with him, waiting until he was drunk to try to coax some emotions out of him, he put his plan into action.

The next year was spent slowly seducing her, getting her to fall in love with him. He'd never tried anything like it before, but it had worked flawlessly. Then one night, all it took was a few smooth words about his love for her bringing his humanity back, and they were making out against the wall. He took her to the roof that night and they had sex until they passed out from exhaustion, and when the first rays of sun broke the day, he wasn't around to see if she lived or died.

No-humanity-Damon was about as shitty as they get.

Unfortunately, the vampire he had been looking for that was most likely to be able to help him now turned up dead. He talked to one of his neighbors in the building and they told him his body was found beheaded a couple years back.

The guy wasn't really a friend, so Damon couldn't have cared less. It was just a minor inconvenience in his master plan.

He spent the rest of his time following his other leads, but he couldn't find a single one of them. He had forgotten just how much time had passed since the seventies and now. Everyone he knew who wasn't dead had probably moved to a new city for a change in scenery.

Though there was one person left that he knew would never leave New York. The guy owned a vampire club and lived and breathed NYC. And the best part? Even if he was dead, all Damon needed were his files that he kept in the back room.

Checking his phone, Damon cursed when he realized it was six thirty. He didn't have nearly enough time to get what he needed before meeting back up with Elena. Assuming the place was still up and running, he could just bring Elena there tonight and it would be easy enough to distract her while he slipped away for a few moments. Especially on a Friday night when it would be busy.

It took him fifteen minutes to get back to the car, giving him another fifteen to spare before Elena was due to meet him. Just as he reached the car, his phone began ringing and he saw that Stefan was calling.

"What?" He snapped into the receiver, not in the mood to deal with whatever disaster he was about to spring on him.

"Just a heads up, Rebekah might be on her way to New York to join you."

Perfect.

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose, "And how does she know where we are?"

Stefan hesitated, "I, uh—I might have accidentally let it slip without thinking. But on the bright side I also found out that Klaus got that wolf girl pregnant and he's moving to New Orleans for the child."

Out of all the things, Damon thought in surprise. Brushing it off, he responded, "The most powerful Original is finally out of our hair? Can't complain about that."

"Also, if Rebekah does show up, I have a feeling that Elena isn't going to hold anything back this time. Make sure she's safe."

Damon frowned slightly at the trust his brother seemed to placing on him and said, "Always, baby bro."

There was a long pause before Stefan asked, "So how is she doing? Any closer to flipping the switch back on?"

"Wouldn't know. I let her explore the city on her own some six hours ago and haven't seen her since." Damon told him casually, already smirking at the outraged reaction he was about to get. His brother was so much fun to rile up.

"Are you crazy!? She has no humanity Damon, she's probably out there killing every person she finds!"

He rolled his eyes, "Give her a little more credit than that, Stef, she's not you. She has the ability to feed, compel, and release."

"How do you know she's not—"

Damon tuned him out the second his eyes found Elena sauntering towards him. It felt like one of those moments from cartoons where a character couldn't believe what they were seeing, so they plucked their eyeballs out and shined them on their shirt to clean off the dust before shoving them back in and looking again. If he wasn't sure it would hurt like hell, he'd probably do it too, because there was no way that he was really looking at the sinful woman stalking towards him and seeing Elena. He hung up the phone without bothering to say anything else and slipped it back in his pocket.

The first thing he noticed was her hair. It was shorter, falling to her breasts, and it was curled in loose, easy spirals that intertwined with each other. Red streaks shined in the sunlight, swirling through the ends in a disarray of fiery curls. She now had bangs, and they were swept behind her left ear where a small diamond piercing glittered at the top where she'd never had one before.

Then her outfit registered, and damn it all if his pants didn't seem tighter than they were before. She wore skintight jeans that fit her like a second skin, squeezing her in all the right places and hanging low beneath her hip bones. The thighs and knees were ripped, showing off some skin, and she was wearing a pair of sexy black heels that made her legs look miles long. Her shirt was white and cropped, fitting around her just as tight as her jeans and showing off a good two inches of skin above the waistband. She wore a leather jacket on top of it all, the black contrasting sharply to her red hair and lips that he desperately wanted to kiss.

But believe it or not, that wasn't what shocked him the most. No, what had his eyes completely fixated on her shirt were the twin metal piercings showing through the taut fabric of her shirt.

Yeah, he was rock hard in his pants now.

He couldn't believe she did it. He let her loose for a few hours and she comes back with pierced nipples? If he wasn't so turned on he'd probably throttle her.

She stopped walking a few feet in front of him and gave him a big grin, twirling around to show him her outfit before flashing him that heart stopping smile again.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"I…" He breathed, literally speechless. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, seeing her look so carefree for the first time probably since they went to Georgia. "I…god, you look amazing."

If it was possible, she beamed at him even brighter as she closed to distance between them, looping her arms around his neck, "I thought the nipple piercings might be a bit much, but I figured hey, what the hell is holding me back, right?"

He laughed, placing his hands on her hips and shaking his head, "Maybe later I can check them out a little more closely…"

She smirked at the sexual tone in his voice, his hard-on not exactly a secret between them. Sliding a hand down his chest, grazing his abs through the thin t-shirt he wore under his leather jacket, she cupped his erection through his jeans and huskily said, "You won't find me objecting…what do you say we find a hotel to continue in right now?"

As tempting as that offer was—and believe him, it was damn hard to tell Elena no when she was rubbing his dick—he knew that he had to follow that lead tonight while he still had the chance. A low growl rumbled out from deep in his chest, and he tugged her body closer to his. Her hands flew to his shoulders as he said, "As good of a time as I'm sure that would be, there's one more place I want to show you before the night is over. A place filled with the wrong kind of trouble for the right kind of reasons."

Her excitement for the night dropped almost instantly, and it was clearly displayed on her bored features as she pushed away from him. "This better be worth it." She grumbled, climbing into the car.

Damon took a deep breath, attempting to get his body back under control before hopping in the car right along with her. It was going to be a hell of a long night, and with Elena throwing herself at him, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to resist. He desperately wanted to see those nipple piercings up close and personal.

Would it really be that bad if he did sleep with her? It wasn't like it would be their first time, or he was taking advantage of her. She had real feelings for him that were just buried deep inside of her. The worst that could happen was she started feeling something and turned her emotions back on, which wasn't actually bad at all.

And when her emotions were back on, would she regret sleeping with him now? He couldn't see how, seeing as they were already having regular sex before all of this happened.

Okay, those kind of thoughts weren't going to make him more presentable for a public setting. Shaking away the mental images, he drove them over to the all too familiar club where he spent most of his time with Lexi.

It was still pretty dead outside, so he got a close parking spot on the street. A place like this only got fun once the sun set and the creatures of the night could come out to play. The only people that were around now were human.

They walked inside, Elena looking a lot less impressed than Damon at the sight of a few chairs still on top of the tables and a lone bartender cleaning glasses to prepare for the night. The brick walls were covered in graffiti and the cement floors were just as grungy as they were four decades ago, and probably hadn't been cleaned in longer. He smiled when his gaze found the stage, a band that nobody knew setting up their equipment. Neon signs hung on the walls indicating which types of alcohol were served there, and the minimal lighting made everything seem sketchier than it was.

"Welcome to Billy's." He smiled to himself at the nostalgia.

Elena huffed, "I was promised hedonism."

He smirked over his shoulder, "Hedonism isn't a fan of the sun."

She eyed the place with an air of disgust, "Or soap."

"Easy judgy. Not everybody got a hot new makeover today." She smiled shyly and he turned back to the bar as they kept walking inside, noting that there were a few humans sitting at high top tables with beers, but other than that, the place was dead. "In a few hours, this place will be crawling with every kind of punked-out blood source you can imagine."

"How do you know?" She asked skeptically, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she continued inspecting the place.

"Because I spent the seventies right here, drinking my fill until the early morning only to start it all again the next day. That's the thing about New York. There's so much life, that a little death goes unnoticed."

She narrowed her eyes, "So we're really here just to feed and have fun?"

He nodded, "You wanted out, so I got you out. That's all there is to it. What better way to enjoy being a vampire than a place where there are no rules?"

* * *

The music from the garage metal bland playing blared through the building, shaking the walls down to the studs. Beer bottles were thrown against any solid surface every couple minutes, the sound of glass shattering as the patrons got hyped up on the music reverberating through the place. The band wasn't even that good; they were pretty much just noise, but nobody seemed to notice or even care as they banged their heads to the beat, their long hair flipping around their shoulders. People cheered and hollered, clapping and whistling to encourage them to keep performing and the lead singer didn't disappoint.

It brought back so many memories of Billy and everything they did together. Damon hoped to catch him at some point just to say hi, if he was even still alive. Back then, Damon had helped him out with his business.

Making fake identities for vampires.

AKA, his ticket to Katherine.

Billy used to let him feed in his club, and in exchange Damon would kill people and steal their ID's for him. Then just about any vampire could be whoever they wanted. As far as he knew, they were still in business today.

He smirked to himself as he watched a couple of guys get into a fight, fists flying while nobody around cared in the slightest. He and Elena were sitting back in a quieter corner, waiting for the real party to start. Business had picked up, and a few vampires could be spotted, but it wasn't at its peak yet, and Damon was still telling her a little about his time there back in the seventies.

Of course, leaving out the parts about Billy's business. That would tip her off that something was up.

Elena raised a brow, "You got Lexi-ed?"

Before Damon could respond, his face was pressed against the table as the most annoying voice in the world said, "Having fun without me? Poor form, Damon. Have to say, I'm a little hurt."

She released his neck and he groaned, straightening himself and glaring at her. She just smiled sweetly, looking between him and Elena. Surprisingly, the only look on Elena's face was surprise. No anger, no annoyance, no frustration…nothing.

As refreshing as it was not to see her so distraught by the Original, it was also…disturbing. So, very, disturbing.

"Hell of a greeting," Damon muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Does it come with an explanation?"

She shrugged, "I heard Elena's humanity was off, and I rather find you attractive, Damon. Watching her spiral out of control while rolling around in bed with you was a much better option than staying Mystic Falls with the lot of those fools."

"How did you find us?" Elena asked, speaking up for the first time. There was some kind of unsettled emotion in her tone, but not enough to constitute a true reaction.

She laughed, "Oh, it was far too easy. All I had to do was spend the afternoon in bed with Stefan and he was spilling his guts all about his hurt feelings regarding you two."

"Figures." Elena blew out. "Stefan's too trusting for his own good."

"Right." She smirked, something about this new Elena striking her fancy.

Damon cut in, "I'm going to get a drink. Or ten. I'm not nearly drunk enough for this…" He let the sentence hang in the air as he walked towards the bar, feeling a headache already coming on.

Rebekah turned to Elena, interested to see her new and improved personality in action. "So what's the real reason you two are here?"

She smirked, "According to who, me or Damon?"

The blonde's mouth curled into a smile, "You."

Speaking quietly so he wouldn't hear, Elena said, "He's after something, probably my humanity given the whole Lexi story about how she spent a year trying to get his humanity back."

"But you don't want it back." She stated, rather than asked. Elena's lack of argument was the confirmation she needed. "Can't say I blame you. Not caring is so much more fun."

"Exactly." Elena agreed. "Had my humanity been on for this conversation, I probably would have already driven the leg of a chair into your body, or at least tried, but now, I just don't care."

A part of Rebekah was disappointed that none of her jibes would work anymore, but another, bigger, part was excited to see just how this Elena would behave

Damon returned with their drinks, three bottles of beer, ending their conversation. The crowd had thickened in the short time since Rebekah arrived, a well-blended mix of humans and vampires dancing to the music. It was a place where Damon wanted to be with Elena plastered to his body, preferably without Rebekah lurking nearby. She really put a damper on his plans, but he'd have to make do.

After finishing their drinks, Damon led Elena onto the dance floor by her hand while telling Rebekah to entertain herself if she insisted on butting in.

Elena went with little protest, all too eager to feel every inch of Damon's body against hers while feeding from a bunch of humans. They placed themselves in the middle of all the action, Damon grabbing the hand of some random girl with a pixie cut and compelling her not to move a muscle. He tipped her head to the side, exposing her neck to Elena while motioning with his eyes for her to go for it. He waited until her teeth were in her neck to feed from her himself.

When her heart faltered, they both pulled away and that was that. Damon was impressed with her control. The girl disappeared back into the crowd as Damon let her go, and Elena gravitated right back to him, leaning in to lick the dripping blood from his chin.

He spun her around, pulling her ass against his groin by her hips and dropping his lips to her neck, licking and nipping at her pulse point until her arousal perfumed the air for his vampires senses. Their lower bodies bumped and grinded to the beat, the most delicious kind of sweat building between them. He extended his fangs and gently sank them into her delicate throat, the small gasp that escaped her lips going straight to his crotch.

She brought a hand up to his hair, urging him to continue feeding from her while they danced. Damon's hands slid up her curves and moved to her front, grazing the underside of her breasts. When she showed no sign of stopping him, he cupped her breasts in his hands and squeezed, immensely enjoying the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra. That, and the piercings right beneath his fingertips.

He flicked his fingers over her nipples, a throaty moan falling from her lips as she tipped her head back against his shoulder and her eyes slid shut. He released her throat, pressing a kiss to the bite as it healed and smirking at the way her body responded to his touch.

Humanity or not, she was still his.

And god damn did he love those piercings.

They spent hours doing the same thing, finding that it never seemed to get old. They'd find some unsuspecting human, compel them, feed until they were on the verge of passing out, then send them on their way. They'd dance the dirtiest of dances, leaving no area safe from groping. They occasionally even fed from each other.

Rebekah had joined them eventually when she got bored of whatever she'd been doing before, and Damon saw it as the perfect opportunity to slip away. Elena already had her fangs deep in a girl's neck, and Rebekah was lurking right behind him. Pulling away, he motioned for her to take a turn, and without hesitation she did.

When they were both distracted, he slipped into the crowd and disappeared through an employees only door. He closed it securely behind him, the noise dying down considerably. He walked down the hall until he reached the storage room where Billy kept all of the records of his business deals.

He closed the door behind him, keeping his ears open for anyone coming as he sifted through the many boxes until he found the P's.

Pierce/Petrova. Bingo.

He folded up the piece of paper he needed and stuffed it in his back pocket, quickly putting everything else back where he found it. He opened the door and shut it behind him just as Elena appeared in down the hall where the entrance was. She narrowed her eyes at him, "What are you doing?"

"Wanted to see if Billy was in his office." He lied easily. "He wasn't."

She seemed to accept his excuse, him having told her how close he and Billy had gotten during the time they worked together. Billy may have been a vampire, but he didn't like killing and feeding from humans like Damon did. He preferred the bagged blood, and stuck to partying with alcohol instead of dead bodies.

"You about done here or do you want to stick around for another hour or two?" He asked, walking towards her.

She furrowed her brows, "You're not gonna get me even more drunk and force me to spill all kinds of emotions I'm not having like Lexi did to you?"

Damon smirked, "You didn't let me finish that story, kitten." He nodded his head towards the door, "Come on."

She followed him wordlessly back into the club and he led her into a stairwell where they climbed a couple stories to the roof, snagging some beers beforehand. Damon swung open the door, his eyes immediately landing on the last spot he saw Lexi, naked and wrapped in a blanket. He really was a dick.

The city lights cast a soft glow through the chilly night as Damon walked over to the edge to look at the city.

Elena sipped her beer, then asked, "So are you going to tell me what happened?"

She leaned against the ledge next to him, glancing out into the city. She was a bit more interested in hearing him talk about Lexi though.

He smirked, "What do you think happened? Lots of late night drunken thoughts before I finally had my breakthrough and turned it back on?"

"Judging by your tone I'd guess not."

He blew out a short laugh then said, "I made her fall in love with me over the course of a year, then pretended I loved her back and that that emotion was what got me to turn my humanity back on. I brought her right up here on top of this roof, fucked her for a good four hours, then ditched her, leaving her outside for the sun to fry when it rose in another hour. I hadn't seen her since she appeared in Mystic Falls not that long ago. I honestly thought she was dead."

Well, Elena hadn't been expecting that. Damon was ruthless, and it was…sexy. She bit her lower lip, not bothering to dissect why the sudden jolt of lust coursing through her appeared at the thought of him acting like a monster.

"Barbecued vampire. Definitely your style." She mused, a slight smirk on her lips.

He raised a brow, "Now do you believe my goal of bringing you here wasn't to flip your switch? I know what it's like, what someone pestering you to flip it can be like, and what it can drive you to do. That's not what I want. What I want is for you to be happy, and if that means leaving your humanity off, so be it." Her face was unreadable after he finished, void of any thought going on in her head. He sighed, taking a swig of his beer, "So are you? Happy, that is?"

The first flicker of uncertainly flashed through her eyes and he noted it with interest. He was going to need all the ammunition he could get for her to turn it back on.

She dropped her gaze to the ground before raising it again, saying, "I'm nothing, Damon. I just don't care. I'm satisfied with my life, if that's what you're asking me, a little turned on too, but that's a given—"

"More like a lot…" Damon said under his breath.

She smiled a little, "But if you want to hear me say that I'm happy, then I guess I can do that. I don't have any problems, or worries, and I'm kind of liking being a vampire right now, getting to feel that rush that the blood gives you. But if you think that I want this to change, that I could be happier with my humanity, you're dead wrong. If what you just said is really true, then you won't try to get me to turn it on. Are we clear?"

He's always been a bit of a liar anyways.

"If it gets those panties of yours out of their twist, yes, we're clear."


	19. Chapter 19

They didn't spend too much longer at Billy's. Damon never did get to see his old friend, but with Rebekah distracted by her next meal it was the perfect time to slip away and get that hotel room for the night. As they got in the car, Elena said, "I think a saw a little hotel a few blocks down the street we can stay at."

Damon gave her an incredulous look, "We're vampires in New York and you want to stay at a shitty motel? Clearly you've got a lot to learn."

He threw the car into drive and peeled out of the parking spot to go towards his personal favorite hotel in all of New York. Elena was going to love it.

After handing his car over to the valet, they walked into the lavish lobby with white marble floors, glittering gold chandeliers, and classic Greek columns two stories tall. The raised ceilings were painted with an elaborate design, and all of the furniture looked far too expensive to even look at let alone sit on.

Elena was impressed with his choice. She couldn't wait to see what the actual room was going to look like, and more importantly, what kind of trouble they could get into in it.

Damon sauntered up to the front desk and she moved right next to him, noting the judgmental look the receptionist was giving them. Probably because they weren't dressed in the most expensive designers, but rather clothes more fit for a place like Billy's.

He gave her that devilish smirk of his and Elena watched in awe how the woman instantly softened, flashing him her bedroom eyes. Damon was the biggest flirt she'd ever met, hands down.

"Hi there…Courtney." He greeted her, reading her nametag. "My girl and I will take the penthouse."

She gave him a small sympathetic frown as she typed on her computer, "I'm sorry, sir, but it seems that that room is unavailable."

"Is there anyone staying in it right now?" He asked.

"Well, no, but—"

"Great, then it's available." He compelled her, not in the mood to deal with arguing. "Put it on my card." He tossed his credit card to her and she quickly charged the room before handing it back.

"Have a good night." She gave them a fake smile that was probably well practiced before Damon walked away without throwing her a second glance.

Elena was kind of liking this new heartless Damon. He'd probably be even more fun with his humanity off, and only then could she truly trust him, but she'd make do with what she could get.

He led her to a private elevator in the back, the interior decorated in the same white marble and shiny gold trim as the lobby. Definitely not the type of elevator for everyday guests.

And it moved pretty fast. The penthouse suite was on the top floor in a building with fifty some floors.

But whatever she was expecting hadn't been even close to what she got. The elevator door opened to black marble floors, an open floor plan, and massive floor to ceiling windows spanning two stories. There was a kitchen on the left, a dining room on the right, and a step down onto the gray carpet led to the living room with the best view of the city she'd seen yet. Gray couches with endless pillows were arranged around a large black coffee table with a fireplace and a television above it. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, the sparkling gems resembling rain as they hung in straight lines. There was a small bar over to the right, where Elena noticed a beautiful glass spiral staircase leading to the second floor balcony which hung over the kitchen and dining room. She guessed the bedrooms and bathrooms were up there.

Her feet took her to the kitchen first, and she grazed her hand across the shimmering white quartz counters. Had she needed to cook her food, this wouldn't be the worst place to do it. An elaborate light fixture hung above the breakfast bar, and the stove had six burners on it. Damon was a good cook. Maybe if she was in the mood she could talk him into making her food.

As she walked into the living room to explore more of the suite, she noticed the terrace outside. There was a pool that would be open if it had not been February, and there was a hot tub tucked away in the corner. If she hadn't already fucked Damon in a hot tub it might have held some appeal.

"Nice place…" She commented, trailing her fingertips across the back of the couch.

Damon smirked, "Better than a shitty motel?"

She gave him a pointed look as she sauntered over to the bar in search of some more alcohol. She wasn't quite ready to let the party end just yet, and who better to keep up than Damon, the self-proclaimed pro at drinking?

She picked up a remote sitting on the coffee table on her way and flipped on the surround sound stereo. One of the many overplayed pop songs came on the radio, and she turned up the volume and danced the rest of the way to the bar. She poured herself a drink while kicking off her heels and looked to Damon, "What's your poison? Bourbon?"

"You know me too well, kitten." He confirmed, crossing his arms and leaning his hip against the back of the couch.

She danced over to him to hand him his drink, then took a gulp of her own before setting it down and unbuttoning her pants. While the clothes made her look like sin, they certainly weren't as comfortable as being naked.

That, and Damon would be less likely to resist her seduction this time if she was already naked and flaunting her goods right in front of his face.

She hooked her fingers in the waistband and met Damon's eyes, unable to hide her smirk. He raised a brow and she bit her lower lip, deciding that it would be much more fun to push all of his buttons rather than just a few. She walked up to him, taking his glass out of his hand and setting it on the table next to hers before taking his hands in hers. She placed them on her hips, and his thumbs automatically went into her waistband. A dark look crossed his features, proof that she was pushing all of the right buttons. She slowly pushed his hands down her hips, dragging the jeans with them.

He couldn't believe the little minx—no, wait, actually he could believe what she was doing. He just couldn't remember why, for the life of him, they weren't already in bed.

Her thighs were soft as silk against his hands, her jeans bunched around her knees as his hands explored the expanse of smooth skin against his will. Their foreheads were pressed together, her hands resting on his chest as she stepped out of the jeans and kicked them to the side. He tugged her hips against his, pressing his hardness into her stomach and she let out an involuntary gasp, making him smirk.

She laughed huskily then whispered, "Easy, tiger…we've got all night, and I'm not quite finished with the surprises."

His eyes narrowed at her words and she stepped back out of his embrace, turning to walk away. Of course she was wearing a thong, and of course Damon's hot blooded male body couldn't resist staring at her perfectly round ass encased in the lacy red scrap of fabric that somehow passed as underwear.

Wait, no, she said something about another surprise! What the hell did that mean? Damon really wasn't in the mood for more surprises, because that's come to mean problems. So help him if she did anything stupid…

Then she was shrugging out of her leather jacket, leaving her in just the white tank top that ended at her belly button, and his question was answered. He was going to need a doctor if his jaw stayed on the floor any longer.

There on her right shoulder blade was a tattoo a little bigger than a golf ball blazing bright against her olive skin. But not just any tattoo—no, this one happened to be a red heart with his name scrawled in the center.

Not for the first time since she shut her humanity off, Damon was speechless. His brain wasn't even functioning, and Elena knew it. She had a newfound love for riling him up, for seeing him lose the control he so expertly keeps even if he pretends that he has none. Watching the moment he snapped and gave in would be more satisfying than all of the alcohol she could ever consume. She smirked over her shoulder and turned up the volume on the music a few notches, beginning to rock her hips to the beat.

She downed the rest of her drink, sending Damon a wink before finishing off his too, not that his eyes had strayed from her once. She stepped up onto the couch, facing the city so her brand new tattoo was staring him down, and trailed her hands over her curves as she danced and moved like the minx she was.

She sang along softly to the lyrics, jumping down from the couch to dance around the room.

She felt Damon's resolve snap before she even felt him move. He was behind her in the blink of an eye, his hands on her hips in a death grip and his chest flush against her back. His mouth was attacking her neck with frenzied kisses, devouring her taste like it was the last time he'd ever experience the heaven that was Elena Gilbert, even with her humanity off. Her eyes slid shut and she fisted her hand in his hair, forcing him closer. His arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly, while his mouth coaxed every whimper, mewl, and moan from her mouth that it could.

She breathed his name, clenching her thighs together as her arousal made itself quite obvious to any being with a heightened sense of smell. The space between her legs throbbed with need to the point of pain, and she wiggled her ass against Damon's prominent erection. He growled, a primal sound from deep in his throat, and sunk his blunt teeth into her shoulder, then trailed down to her tattoo and gave that a good nip too. She yelped in pleasure and again pleaded his name, prompting him to lift her and blur them upstairs to the bedroom. He threw her in the middle of the pristine white bed, her dark hair fanning out as she spread herself open for him.

Damon had her naked faster than she could comprehend and his mouth was on her breasts, nibbling at the piercings and making her moan.

Had he mentioned how much he loved those piercings yet?

He flicked his tongue around the cold metal, taking the other in his hand to twist and pull while she writhed beneath him, her back arching and pressing her breasts further into him. He switched nipples, suckling at the other while grinding his still clothed bulge into her bare center. She groaned, beginning to pant, as she rubbed herself against him, desperate for some release. She attempted to pull his mouth to hers, but he refused, using the very good excuse of her nipples to resist kissing her. Not when she was like this.

When he finally managed to tear himself away from her for a few seconds, he shed his clothes at vampire speed before returning to her flushed body. He thrust into her before they both exploded from the overwhelming desire, and Elena cried out at the unexpected move.

Damon flipped them over so she was on top, letting her have him however she wanted him while he laid back and enjoyed the view. He had never seen perfection quite like Elena, and frankly, he never wanted to. She was the only thing he needed, humanity or not, and that wasn't going to change.

Even as she bounced on his dick, fucking him for her own pleasure without giving a damn what he felt, he couldn't find it in him to stop. He was hers, even if that meant letting her have him like this, because he was too weak to ever deny her what she wanted. She was his soft spot, and that's how it would always be.

He could tell she was getting closer. Her eyes were scrunched shut in pleasure, her mouth hanging open as she started losing her rhythm to the intense flutters unfurling in her belly. Damon rolled her beneath him and lifted her legs over his shoulders, beginning a pace that would send them both off the deep end in seconds. He was nearing vampire speed as he pounded into her ruthlessly, some dark part of him growling to assert his dominance and show her just who she belonged to. His hips hammering into hers, he sunk his fangs into her calf and drank deeply, her resounding cry so sharp that it could have shattered glass as she toppled over the edge.

He spilled inside of her not a second later, releasing her leg to groan and gasp through the spine tingling feeling shooting through his body.

He fell onto the bed next to her, not even bothering to pull her into his arms when he knew she wouldn't go willingly. His eyes closed and his chest heaving, he vaguely wondered how much longer he would be able handle fucking her before he craved the emotional side to sex that only seemed to exist with her.

Elena peeked an eye open to look at him, a sated smile curling at her lips. However, it instantly fell at the pensive look on Damon's face.

She didn't care if he enjoyed himself or not. Nope. Not one bit. She got what she wanted, and it seemed that was all the fun she was going to get from him tonight. But she wouldn't give up without giving it another try.

Swinging her leg between his, she flipped on top of him and ran her hand down his chest, giving him a coy smile, "Was that all you've got?"

He smiled a little, though there was no emotion to it. It was simply a movement of his lips, then he hummed a noise that Elena couldn't decide the meaning of. He barely even opened his eyes, and something about the lack of attention grated on her nerves.

After everything she did to get his attention, he fucked her and was bored with her? She rolled her eyes, not that he'd see it, and climbed off of him, grabbing one of the dark gray silk robes from the dresser and slipping it on.

"Where are you going?" He asked lazily, already beneath the sheets.

She scowled to herself where he wouldn't see and coldly said, "Wherever the hell I want."

He knew she wasn't going to leave the room in only a robe, and she cursed him for it before slamming the door behind her as she went back downstairs. She needed a snack, but there was no blood in the fridge. Normally she'd settle for fresh, but she had a feeling that she wasn't going to feel like stopping tonight, and she'd rather not have to deal with a dead body.

Instead she yanked a bottle of whiskey from the bar and threw herself onto the couch where she had been dancing only half an hour ago and poured it down her throat. It was only when the bottle was half empty that she had to stop herself and ask what the hell was going on. She didn't care about anything. She shouldn't care if Damon fucked her then stopped caring about her or not. Just because he's been telling her he loves her for the past year didn't mean she suddenly cared whether he showered her in affection or not.

She didn't need him.

Or anyone else for that matter.

All she needed was herself. In fact, she should just make everything easier and leave now while he wasn't expecting it. She could escape him, run away and do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She could go somewhere where nobody would try to turn her emotions back on, where nobody would care, just like she didn't.

Her mouth twitched in anger as she berated herself for even allowing herself to feel used in the first place, especially when she wasn't supposed to care.

She can to live without him. She will never be one of those girls so hopelessly dependent on a man that it's borderline demented. Not feeling was good. She didn't have to deal with emotions like that. She could just shove them down, lock them away, and pretend they didn't exist.

At least that's what she told herself even when she could feel that dark box tucked into the deepest recesses of her mind growing bigger and bigger, the walls bulging out with the emotions she was suppressing and the feelings that could easily devour her. Sooner or later, it would burst, but if she could just stop adding to it, then she'd be okay. All she had to do was avoid more emotions, and she'd be good to go.

And that meant avoiding Damon, because he was a large source of her rampant humanity clawing to the surface.

She ground her teeth together, telling herself that she needed to get a grip.

No emotions.

No feelings.

No humanity.

She repeated the mantra over and over, making sure that it would reign true through all of Damon's attempts to bring her back.

* * *

"Thanks, Liz." Damon said into the phone to the sheriff just before hanging up. It seemed as if his luck was turning around after yesterday's failed attempts at reconnecting with any of his old leads. Billy came through, even if he didn't know it.

"Why were you talking to Liz?" Elena asked, appearing in the door to the bedroom, the accusation clear in her tone.

Damon smirked, "Worried I have a diabolical master plan after all?" She narrowed her eyes, not finding the joke as amusing as he did. He rolled his eyes, "Christ, Elena, pop a Xanax and relax. She was just keeping me updated on what's going on back home. There haven't been any missing persons or vampire attacks, and the house that Klaus occupied is empty and closed up. It seems as though he's moved on from Mystic Falls for good."

While everything he told her was true, he may have just left out a little bit of information that he had yet to break the news of.

They needed to go to a small little town in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania.

Oh, how being friends with the sheriff could come in handy. All it took was a nationwide search for the fake name Katherine was using and low and behold, a car rental place popped up. He had to admit, Katherine hiding in a small town was unexpected. She craved attention, and big cities were the only way she was going to get enough to satisfy her. However, unexpected was what she was going for, so they'd be taking a day trip.

He had just had to figure out how to tell Elena without pissing her off.

Lazily raking his gaze over her half naked body, he mentally thanked the hotel for providing silk robes that were thinner than paper. It showed everything, and he smiled in approval. When she was like this, he could ogle all he wanted and she wouldn't give a damn.

Noting the look on his face, Elena uncrossed her arms and slinked over to the bed, moving to stand between his legs. Her hands landed on his shoulders and his went to her hips, lightly holding her in place. He pressed his face between her breasts, nudging the fabric away from her skin to place hot, open-mouthed kisses on her sternum.

She allowed him to have his fun for a moment before fisting her hand in his hair and yanking back—hard. He gave her a 'what the fuck' kind of look and she glared down at him, "If you even think, that you can hide something—"

She didn't get to finish, because Damon's anger that had been accumulating for days snapped at the threat she was trying to make. His hand shot out and wrapped around her throat and he threw her to the ground, smiling wickedly at the way she unsuccessfully clawed at his wrist to try to dislodge him. He hit her head against the floor again, forcing her to stop as her vision blurred, and he hissed, "Are you threatening me, Elena? I think you're forgetting that I'm older than you, little girl. You have no power over me, and don't you dare think that you're the one in charge here. Just because the world revolved around you in Mystic Falls doesn't mean the rest of it does."

That was the absolute last thing she had ever been expecting him to say. It was easy to forget that he was one and a half centuries stronger than her when he so often used the gentlest of touches to care for her.

Immediately, she was shoving down the emotions his words invoked and glaring right back at him.

He released her then got to his feet, giving her a hard look that dared her to try something like that again.

She didn't take the bait.

He stepped away from her and as she stood up he said, "We're going to Pennsylvania. There's a little town I want to make a stop in."

"Why?" She instantly asked.

"Because I fucking told you so." He snapped. "If you're unwilling, I could always break your neck and tie you up to make you more agreeable."

He turned on his heel for the bathroom, already cringing at his hard words. Today was going to be a long day, and there was nothing like a bad mood to start it out.

At least Elena didn't care. Or at least he thought she didn't care.

And she didn't. That's what she kept telling herself as her buried emotions seethed where they normally would have cried. She was sick of doing this; letting Damon bring her emotions back out. She had to put an end to that—now—before he was really able to disarm her.

Making sure that switch was securely in the 'off' position, Elena threw open the closet doors where Damon had the hotel stock some clothes. It was nothing too great, but she would have to make do. She chose a pair of black skinny jeans with rips all along the thighs and a simple gray t-shirt that fit her snugly. She deliberated wearing a bra or not, but decided that if she wasn't trying to seduce Damon then she'd have to wear a bra. She saw the way his eyes darkened and widened when he saw her new accessory.

She learned her lesson where he was concerned. No more fucking the one person that has the potential to destroy her.

Thinking back on it, that should have been a given.

While Damon was in the shower, she heard a beep on the intercom system and walked over to the electronic box on the wall. She pressed the button and sweetly asked, "Who is it?" She was dying for a fresh meal.

Rebekah's saccharine sounding voice drifted through, "I take it Damon's preoccupied? Let me up; let's have ourselves a talk about priorities."

Elena frowned slightly, wondering what that meant, but buzzed her up anyways. Damon asked from the bathroom, loud enough that she'd hear it, "Who was that?"

"Room service." Elena answered instantly, not bothering to give him any further explanation. She slipped out of the room and downstairs, her feet hitting the soft gray carpet just as the elevator chimed and Rebekah strutted into the stunning hotel suite.

She smirked, looking around, "Damon's got good taste."

Elena didn't comment, she just moved closer until they were a few feet away and softly asked so Damon wouldn't hear, "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes skimmed up and down the brunette girl, a fleeting thought wondering when she seemed so much like Katerina. It made what she was about to tell her all the more sweeter.

"Damon didn't take you to Billy's just to have fun." She shared.

Elena scoffed, "Tell me something I don't know."

She shrugged, "Okay. He's looking for Katherine."

Elena's body went stiff at that one simple name, rage almost filling her completely. Almost. "Are you gonna tell me why or keep me guessing?"

"You must be a riot at parties." She deadpanned. "Unfortunately, I have no idea what he wants with her. That's where you come in."

She narrowed her eyes, "He's not going to tell me anything, and you know that."

"That's not what I meant." She chuckled. "At Billy's, Damon managed to find her file in the back room while we were busy and swiped a list of aliases she's gone by. He's taking you to a place in Pennsylvania, no?"

So that's what he was up to. Elena hesitated giving her an answer, though it was an answer enough.

Rebekah smiled smugly, "I say we don't let him get whatever it is he wants, and if he's chasing Katherine, you know it's got to be good."

Elena couldn't deny that. Damon would never seek out the woman that ruined him without a damn good reason, and suddenly Rebekah's unspoken offer sounded very appealing. She smirked to herself, then said, "Follow behind us. When I get the information we need from him I'll give him the slip and we can find that ancient bitch."

The blonde woman smiled deviously, "Always a pleasure, Elena. Well, only when your humanity's off."

She stepped back into the elevator and the doors closed just as the water from the shower turned off. Elena returned to the bedroom just as Damon walked out with just a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Where's the food?"

She shrugged, "They got it wrong, so I sent it back. I'd prefer to grab a real bite to eat anyway, if we can get this show on the road."

Damon went to the same closet where her clothes had been and pulled out some of his own: jeans and—surprise, surprise—a black button down. She resisted rolling her eyes as he said, "I think that can be arranged, if you're ready to go."

"I've been ready." She said, already walking towards the elevator.


	20. Chapter 20

Relatively boring chapter, IMO. But it's got important pieces of plot so it's necessary. No Delena because Elena has no humanity :( But I do dig her tentative friendship with Rebekah, just like in the show.

I remember when I first watched TVD, I was binging to catch up to season 6 that was on tv. I hated no-humanity Elena so much that I quit watching the show for a few days so I could cool down because she was such a raging bitch. My no-humanity Elena won't be sticking around for too long, luckily.

* * *

 _Katherine had really outdone herself_ , Damon thought idly as he parked his car on the side of the street in the busiest part of town. There were a few random shops, a diner, a bank, and the town hall, all within a block of each other. If there was ever a place to disappear…

"So are you finally going to tell me what we're doing here?" Elena asked, bored.

Damon eyed her carefully then said, "Don't get pissed, but we're here for Katherine."

She looked at him emotionlessly, "Why would I be mad about that?"

He ignored the ache in his chest that missed who she really was and shrugged, "My mistake."

With no further comment, she pressed, "So what's your big plan? How do you even know she's here?"

"A lead of mine." He answered vaguely. "She's here, and it's so small it shouldn't be a problem to track her down using a little compulsion."

She blew out a laugh, "Wow, you really are useless."

And then everything went black as she snapped his neck.

Elena shoved his limp body back into the seat, arranging him so it would seem as if he was sleeping before stepping out of the car. She wondered how she was going to find Rebekah, but she got her answer almost instantly when the blonde appeared next to her, commending, "Nicely done. He really did make it too easy, though."

Elena shook her head, beginning to walk down the sidewalk, "He's hopelessly in love with me. Can you blame him?"

Rebekah dropped the conversation at that, not really caring to continue it. "So how are we going to find her?"

"Well, Damon's master plan was to walk around and look for her, so I'm open to any ideas."

She scoffed, "He really isn't the brightest crayon in the box."

Elena nodded, eying a redhead that was just about to get into her car after a day of shopping, "But first, I'm going to grab a bite to eat."

Damon hadn't fed her like she'd asked, and she was irritable because of it. She hoped that the lack of blood kept him unconscious longer too. Rebekah was already complaining about her wasting time, yammering on about having driven by herself for hours on end, but all it sounded like was an annoying buzz to her hears.

She stood next to the redhead, who jumped when she saw her, placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart. "Sorry, you scared me." She laughed, smiling brightly.

Elena rolled her eyes and muttered, "Yeah, yeah."

She bared her fangs and went in for the kill, but the woman shrieked, "Katherine, what are you doing?"

That stopped her in her tracks, and she pulled back, Rebekah standing at her side. Elena looked at her in amusement, almost enjoying the way she got to play her doppelganger and turn the tables for once.

"You know me?" She questioned with a small smile.

The woman looked at her as if she was a little crazy, "Of course. I know most people around here let you drink from their neck but I asked you to drink from my wrist, remember?" She pulled back her sleeve, exposing the vein.

Rebekah laughed, "Conniving little bitch compelled the whole town."

Now, to find out what they knew and how it could be helpful.

Elena asked, "What's my full name?"

"Katherine Pierce." She answered cheerily, then motioned to her hair. "Love the new do by the way. The red is totally hot."

"Thanks…" She mumbled, picking up the end of a lock that was tinged crimson.

Rebekah cut in, "How do you know Katherine?"

The woman furrowed her brows, "How do I know who?"

The two girls shared a confused look before Elena answered, "Me. How do you know me?"

She shrugged casually, "It's a small town, everybody knows everybody."

Rebekah asked, "So everybody knows Katherine?"

The redhead turned to her, her brows drawn together apologetically, "I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking about."

Rebekah blew out a breath, "She compelled them to forget all about her unless she was talking to them herself. Clever girl."

Elena ignored her, focusing on the issue at hand, "How long have we known each other?"

She frowned, "Um, it's been a while, I guess, I don't remember."

"Where do I live? Where do I work?" She pressed on.

The woman looked at her funny, "I don't know."

"Who do I spend time with, do I have any friends?"

She smiled, "You said we could all be friends with you, as long as we kept your secret. And don't worry, I'm keeping your secret safe."

A secret? Bingo. "What secret?"

She hesitated, unable to form the words, "I don't know."

Well, it seemed like she served her purpose. After taking a pint or two from her, the two girls began walking through town, stopping at every public place to search for Katherine. The town hall was a bust, the library was dead, the diner was a no-go, not even the police station was of use.

They were both getting annoyed at everyone's lack of knowledge, Rebekah seemingly more so than Elena.

"This is hopeless. She's either already gone once she figured out we were here, or she's dead, and we both know which scenario is more likely."

Elena rolled her eyes, "Quit whining. We're ruling out places and we should have her before nightfall." They walked up to the mailman outside of the post office, loading his truck with mail, and Elena asked, "Do I have any packages here?"

He looked at her in surprise, "What'd you do to your hair?"

She closed her eyes in frustration and hastily answered, "I cut it."

He looked at her incredulously, "In the last two minutes?"

Elena straightened, "I was here two minutes ago?"

The man looked at her as if she was losing her mind but Elena ignored him, turning to Rebekah and sharing a look with her.

"Are you okay Miss Pierce?" The man asked.

She nodded, "I'm fine, um…thanks." She smiled and laughed a little, and he nodded happily before going back to his truck.

When he was gone, Elena turned to Rebekah, "She was just here, which means she couldn't have gotten far. How about you look inside and I'll check the parking lot?"

The blonde nodded her consent and they split up. Elena hurried around to the back, looking through all of the parked cars quickly for flashes of brown hair or anyone that looked like they wanted to murder her. She spotted a woman sitting in her car, her hair dark brown but it was too dark to make out her face. She ducked behind a white truck, peeking around the corner but her anticipation was short lived as the woman stepped out and was anyone but Katherine.

Suddenly she was being painfully forced against the truck, a noise of pain escaping as a hand clamped down around her throat. Her double stood before her, smirking, "I'm impressed. I never thought you'd find me here. Oh well, it's a beautiful place to die."

Before she could move another muscle, Rebekah was there, throwing her off of her to the ground. "I couldn't agree more." She quipped, brushing some hair from her eyes. Elena stood confidently next to her, feeling smug that the strongest vampire there was on her side. "You've chosen a beautiful place to die. But first, we need to talk."

It didn't take much convincing to haul Katherine across the street to a little café that was fairly deserted. Just a few workers and one or two other customers.

Well, it wasn't like Katherine had a choice, and she knew it.

She sat in a booth across from her doppelganger and next to the Original, glaring daggers at them both. "Damon was looking for you for a reason, and I want to know what you have that he wants." Elena demanded.

"Then why aren't you here with him?" She asked curiously. "Surely our lover is better company than her."

"Because I don't trust Damon right now. All he wants is to make me feel, and it's not necessary." Elena hit back.

Katherine eyed her with interest, smiling slightly when it clicked, "You shut your humanity off. How tragic for our boys. Their precious little snowflake of human frailty, gone, nothing but dust in the wind now. What was it that sent you over?"

Rebekah chuckled, "Look at how out of the loop you are. For someone that goes to such great lengths to keep herself informed, you're terrible at it."

Elena repeated, "Now tell me what you have."

She blew out a laugh, "What, Damon didn't tell you yet? Like you're one to lecture me about being out of the loop. I'm surprised he didn't go running his mouth about how evil I am the second Jeremy squealed in that tomb. Though, in retrospect, I should have realized he was wearing vervain. I guess I was just a little preoccupied."

"You were in Silas's tomb?" Elena asked in disbelief. How had none of them noticed her?

She smirked at their confusion, but Rebekah's mind was reeling. She knew why Klaus wanted in the tomb, and now she knew why Katherine wanted in it.

"You stole Silas's talisman." Rebekah stated.

Katherine didn't say anything, she just sat there smiling evilly. Elena frowned, wondering what they were talking about, but decided not to ask until later.

Rebekah continued, "Well come on then, hand it over."

Katherine laughed, "You really need to stop hanging out with all of these idiots. They're starting to rub off on you." When neither of them said anything else, she made to stand, "Well if we're going to be here for a while, I'm going to grab some menus."

Rebekah picked up her fork and stabbed it through her hand, anchoring her to the table as she groaned. "You're not going anywhere."

She grumbled, "Just as charming as your brother, I see."

The blonde sneered, "I'm surprised you remember me at all, seeing as how you were so busy wedging yourself between my brothers."

Elena snapped, "Every second you two waste arguing is another second Damon gains in finding us. He won't stay dead forever, you know, and my guess is he's already looking for us."

Rebekah grabbed Katherine's chin, forcing her to look in her eyes, "Where's the talisman?"

Katherine chuckled, "I'm on vervain."

"Oh, I get to torture it out of you. Fun." She bit out, shoving her face away.

"What do you want with the talisman anyway?" Elena asked.

She turned to face her look alike, answering, "Klaus wants it, I have it. I give it to him, I get my freedom."

Elena sighed dramatically, "You poor victim. Now where's the part where you screw us over and someone dies?"

She shrugged, "I have no reason to screw you over. Believe it or not, people change. I'm not the girl you think I am."

That was almost funny enough to earn a laugh. Rebekah rolled her eyes and used her speed to snatch Katherine's phone from her pocket, then tossed it to Elena while she protested. Elena began looking through the phone while Rebekah said, "I'm sure there's something in that that will tell us where the talisman is."

After a minute, Elena found a meeting scheduled for four o'clock with Em. "Who's Em?"

"A friend." She replied shortly.

Elena smirked, "I guess I'll just have to meet them myself, won't I?" She grabbed Katherine's purse then stood to go to the bathroom to redo her makeup, and when she returned she threw the ugly thing back at her and asked, "What do you think?"

Rebekah grinned, "Not quite slutty enough. You need more eyeliner. And more desperation."

Katherine sent her a glare and Rebekah simply smiled smugly. Elena laughed a little then said, "I'm gonna need your clothes."

She snorted, "Yeah, that's gonna happen."

Elena shrugged, "Fine. Bracelet. Watch. Earrings. Hand them over." She yanked the fork from her hand, pleased at the grunt of pain she made. Katherine begrudgingly stripped off the jewelry, leaving only her daylight bracelet, and Elena slipped it all on. She added, "I'm also really gonna need that jacket."

When she refused, all it took was a strategic grip from Rebekah and she was relenting. Elena was having an infinite amount of fun torturing the woman that lived to make her life hell.

As she took it off, she said, "It'll never work, you know. The hair, the outfit—you'll never pass for me."

"You'll never pass for me." Elena mocked, trying out an imitation.

Rebekah suggested, "Throatier, more man-ish."

Elena scowled as she repeated the phrase, dropping her voice to Rebekah's advice. The blonde woman giggled at the impression and Elena joined her.

Katherine rolled her eyes, "You two are pathetic."

Elena repeated, "You two are pathetic."

Rebekah chimed, "Ooh, perfect, just the right amount of contempt and hidden insecurity."

Elena ran her hands over her outfit, feeling like something wasn't quite right. And she knew exactly what she wanted that would grate on Katherine's nerves even more. "Something's missing." She bent to look under the table, "I need your shoes."

Oh, how deliciously degrading it was, stripping down the five hundred year old vampire in public so she was barefoot, without a jacket, and free from any jewelry.

And by the look on her face, Elena knew she struck a nerve.

One pair of shoes later, and she was on her way to the park to meet 'Em' while Rebekah stayed with Katherine to keep her company.

The waitress had brought them dessert, and she was happily munching on the chocolate cake while saying, "You know, I always envied the legendary Katherine Pierce and her ability to make men fall in love with her. Elijah betrayed Niklaus for you. Trevor too, and then the Salvatore's who worshipped the ground you walked on. And look at you now. So pitiful, you had to compel an entire town to like you." She giggled then said, "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh. It's really more sad than funny."

Katherine glared at her silently, just about to open her mouth when Damon appeared at their table and slid in across from them, stretching his arms across the back of the booth casually. "She found you already? You're losing your touch, Evil One." He smirked at Katherine.

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, bite me. You're the one that let a baby vampire snap your neck."

"Where's Elena?" He asked, ignoring her jab.

Was he pissed? Hell yeah. But he probably should have seen that coming. A night of sex with Elena wouldn't mean anything to her, and he had been a fool for thinking she would ever listen to him. She didn't even do that when she was human.

A dangerous smirk curled at her painted pink lips, "I'd check the morgue by now. Maybe the hospital, police station…" Rebekah narrowed her eyes, grabbed her wrist, and twisted until bones snapped. She cried out but it turned into a laugh, "She was meeting with a friend of mine. You might know him, actually. Dashing Original, impeccable taste…"

"Elijah?" Rebekah asked, surprised. "What's he doing here?"

She confessed, "When I said friend, I meant friend."

Damon and Rebekah simultaneously grimaced and groaned, varying levels of disgust laced in their tones.

"Don't need a play-by-play, Kitty Kat. Where were they meeting?" Damon asked. She stayed silent. He flicked his brows upwards and looked to Rebekah, "Since you obviously know why we're here, and don't want Klaus to have that talisman as much as I don't, why don't you stay here and pry it out of her? I'll go find Elena."

She shrugged her agreement, adding, "She was supposed to meet him in the gazebo by the park."

He nodded and set out to go find her, but not before swiping Katherine's phone. He dialed Elijah's number, which was easy enough to find.

"Katerina?" He answered.

"Younger, hotter—also manlier." Damon quipped.

"Where is Katherine." He ordered, leaving no room for argument.

"Where's Elena?" Damon returned, his tone much lighter.

"Safe. For now. Though whether she remains so or not would depend on Katherine's condition."

Damon pulled a face, thinking of the state in which he found her then answered, "She's fine. Humiliated, but fine. So how about it? Your girlfriend for mine?"

Elijah smiled to himself, "Oh, I think Katherine can handle herself against you."

"Probably." Damon admitted. "But you see, your little sister decided to drop by to have her fun with the Wicked Witch of the West's shiny red shoes. Or rather, I should say Elena did that, seeing as Katherine was barefoot when I saw her."

"Rebekah is here?" He asked more seriously. "Damon, I don't think you understand how much my sister hates Katherine. As soon as she stops being of use, she will rip her heart out."

Damon shrugged, "Saves me the trouble."

"Then I won't hesitate to end your precious Elena. Bring me Katherine, and you can have her back." The line went dead, and Damon cursed, needing to buy some time for Rebekah to get the talisman.

Maybe he would be joining the gruesome twosome after all.

* * *

"Come on, Em." Elena mumbled to herself, pacing back and forth along the gazebo. Whoever they were, they were late.

She continued pacing, almost beginning to think that Katherine gave them false information when she heard a man's voice behind her.

"Katerina?"

She turned around, her eyes widening when she came face to face with Elijah. Out of all the people, why was Katherine meeting with him? Well, given that she had the talisman to bargain her freedom with Klaus, it really shouldn't surprise her that she was meeting with Elijah. In fact, it was probably because she wanted him to broker the deal for her so she'd never have to face Klaus again.

"Elijah. You're late." She commented, putting on her best bitch face.

He stepped closer to her, cupping her jaw and smiling a little, "I do apologize, I hope you were not waiting too long."

"Not longer than ten minutes." She said casually.

Elijah again moved closer, and she tried to resist moving away. "Allow me to properly show my regret."

And then he was kissing her. She kissed him back, though inside she was screaming louder than she'd ever screamed. She opened her eyes during the kiss, as if making sure that Elijah was really kissing 'Katherine.' Why would he be kissing her? Sure, like five hundred years ago they were a thing, but that was five hundred years ago when Katherine was human! She was a raging bitch now that was just using him!

She continued kissing Elijah until he finally pulled away and said, "Now, you said you had it with you?"

She furrowed her brows a little, "Do I have what?"

"The talisman, of course."

She nodded, "It's in a safe place." She rubbed her hand along his chest, "Why don't I go and get it? I'll be right back."

She brushed past him and made to leave, but he caught her arm, looking pointedly at her daylight ring, "Where is Katherine, Elena?"

When she didn't answer right away, Elijah grabbed her and flashed them through the park until they were tucked away between two buildings where nobody would find them. Elena rolled her eyes as he roughly released her, leaning her back against the brick wall. His phone began ringing and he answered it, thinking it was Katherine.

Elena smirked when Damon's voice carried through the speakers. So, he wasn't as incompetent as she thought. She listened to their conversation, shaking her head at the genuine concern in Elijah's voice.

He hung up after one last threat about her life, and Elena sighed, "You're both idiots." She turned on her heel and began walking, just to move away from him.

"Excuse me?"

She blew out a laugh, "What the hell happened to you, Elijah? I mean, I thought you were supposed to be a man of honor. And yet you've been hooking up with Katherine this entire time?"

His back turned to her, he shared, "I suppose this man of honor always shared a special connection with Katherine." Unfortunate for him, Elena thought glibly. "She contacted me when she heard about the talisman and my brother's desires for it. We figured we could be of mutual use to each other."

"So you were really going to just hand it over to Klaus for Katherine's freedom? Where do you benefit from that?"

"Katherine earns her freedom and she's able to do as she likes."

She looked at him skeptically, "And that's being with you? I hate to break it you, but Katherine doesn't care about anyone. Once she gets what she wants, she'll leave you just like she did everyone else when they stopped being of use. You're no different. You fell for her trap just like every other one of those idiots."

He smiled to himself then turned to face her, "You underestimate me, Elena. I know who Katherine is. What she's like."

"And you think she's changed? She's playing you. She lied to you, Elijah." Elena didn't know why she was bothering to talk to him about the subject, but she supposed that if he knew the truth then he might be on their side. That, and on the off chance that Katherine truly did care about him, it would drive him away and hurt her.

"She didn't lie to me about your transformation." He stated.

Elena squared her shoulders, waiting for the pity that was sure to come.

"But something else is different. You're not the same." He paused, then connected the dots. "You've abandoned your emotions. Why?"

"Wouldn't you rather know your girlfriend's true intentions? You say she hasn't lied to you, but you must know that she could never truly love you, right? Did you know that the entire time she's been here, she's been screwing other men?"

He came at her then, wrapping his hand around her throat and pressing into the wall, "You're lying."

"Am I?" She choked out. "Then why was a police officer telling me about how great last night was and how he wanted to do it again soon? Or what about the hot councilman I met at the town hall who stopped me to pull me into his office and show me with his mouth just how much he missed me?" She actually wasn't lying, and the sound of human footsteps approaching prompted him to release her. "Just watch."

The groundskeeper for wherever they were appeared, smiling brightly at the sight of Katherine. "Katherine, I didn't realize you were stopping by today."

Elena smiled sweetly and walked closer to him, reading the name on his uniform, "Tell me something, Jeff, am I dating anyone? Have you heard anything about me having a relationship with anyone?"

He frowned slightly before saying, "Well, last week the wife and I saw you out with David, from the diner, remember? My nephew also mentioned that you had spent the night at one of his buddies' houses. From the sounds of it, you've got plenty of romance in your life."

Elena turned to look pointedly at Elijah, who simply shrugged, "They're humans, she was probably just feeding from them."

She raised a brow then looked back at Jeff, "Was I feeding on any of these suitors?"

He let out a laugh, "From what I've heard floating around town, you only feed from men when they're in your bed. And I've seen quite a few of them sporting some nasty bite marks. You should really be more gentle on them, Kat."

"I'll give it a try, Jeff. Thanks for your time." She said, dismissing him. She turned back to Elijah and gave him a pointed look, seeing disappointment on his face.

"She lied…" He said to himself.

Elena looked at him, actually pitying the poor fool. Out of all the people that should know better than to fall for Katherine's tricks, Elijah was up there right next to Klaus.

"I hate to say I told you so, but…duh." Elena quipped, her arms crossed.

She was over this conversation. This situation. This town, these people. She wanted to go back to New York. She never did get to really see all the city had to offer.

Hopefully Damon would be there to 'save the day' sooner rather than later.


	21. Chapter 21

There's a bit of a time jump in this chapter, I explain it a little more at the bottom :)

* * *

You could name any two people on the face of the earth, and Damon would sooner spend the afternoon with them than the company he was actually forced to have.

Taylor Swift and George Bush.

That gorilla that speaks sign language and one of those terrible actors in what passes as vampire movies.

Hell, he'd even take Klaus and someone else at this point, because surely even he was better than two catty exes.

"This is where you've been living?" Rebekah asked in disbelief as Katherine led them into some suburban home. It definitely wasn't her style.

Katherine didn't answer, she just walked over to a bookshelf and began pulling books off the shelf. She opened up a hidden safe and dug around inside.

"It's not here." She said nervously.

Damon rolled his eyes and made the sound of a buzzer signaling a wrong answer, "Nice try, where is it?"

"It was right in there, I swear!" She defended herself.

He looked to Rebekah, "You go look upstairs, I'll check down here."

She nodded and went for the stairs, meanwhile Damon began moving around the living room, looking for any hiding spots. This was Katherine they were talking about. Chances were, she hid it in plain sight.

"Gotta say it, Katherine, this place doesn't suit you." The pale blue walls and cream colored furniture screamed soccer mom. "Fabricated family photos on the walls and a fish tank too." He mused.

She crossed her arms, casually watching him inspect the house, "How do you know it doesn't suit me?"

He smirked over his shoulder, "Because I know you, Katherine."

"Maybe you don't really know me." She pointed out.

He snorted, "Is that what you told Elijah to keep him interested? Don't kid yourself, you're a selfish bitch and always will be." She looked unfazed, unsurprisingly, so Damon mused, "Now, if I was an ancient witch's talisman where would I be?"

"How do you even know what it looks like?" She countered.

"Because Silas's number one fan happened to accompany us on the trip." Damon answered easily. Shane knew about the talisman, but had no interest in it. It was a wood and metal carving of some sort of ancient rune, tied onto a leather necklace and hidden in a box. "Nifty little trinket, wouldn't you say? Maybe if I was your age I'd be able to tell you what it meant. Now, knowing that it's a necklace, I could guess that you'd keep it in a jewelry box, but that's too obvious for hiding it in plain sight. Besides, it came in a box, which is a little old to fit this house's decoration. But you know where it wouldn't be strange to find an old box—let's call it a treasure chest—in here?" Katherine's eyes widened and Damon smirked, "The bottom of a fish tank. Not to mention the lack of fish. I thought you were better than that, Katherine."

Rebekah reappeared in the room then, having heard the entire conversation, and Damon rolled up his sleeve to retrieve the box. However, the water singed his skin the second it touched and glared at Katherine, "Vervain? Really? It's a shame. Now I have to ruin this place."

He tipped the tank over and it crashed to the floor, the toxic water spilling everywhere and the glass shattering while Katherine scowled at him. He picked up the box, which only stung his fingers a little bit, and smiled evilly at her, "It's been a pleasure doing business, Katherine." Looking to Rebekah, he added, "Now let's get out of here before her glare turns us to stone."

* * *

It wasn't as hard as you'd think to follow Katherine to Elijah. As soon as Damon and Rebekah left, that's where she went.

Unfortunately, Damon couldn't stop her before she snapped Elena's neck.

He was carrying her lifeless body back to the car now, with Rebekah walking at his side, nagging his ear off about the talisman.

"What are you going to do with it now?" She asked, feigning innocent curiosity.

Damon mentally rolled his eyes, "Destroy it. Hide it. Give it to Bonnie. Who the hell knows. All that matters is that Klaus doesn't have it. So you can rest assured that he won't get it, because neither of us want that disaster that would ensue."

"Destroying it would be best. You have no idea the power that my brother could wield should he ever obtain it. Actually, I know of a witch that would be happy to destroy it for you."

He snorted, shifting Elena in his arms and unintentionally making her head loll into the crook of his neck, "And give you the talisman? Nice try. We're done here. You can go."

She silently glared at him as they turned the corner and his car came into sight. "How do I know you won't hand it over to Klaus the next time he threatens one of you?"

"Because I'm going to destroy it. He can't threaten me for something I don't have." Damon pointed out.

"What about before it's destroyed?" She argued.

"What's your deal?" He asked through narrowed eyes. "Why do you want it so bad?"

He maneuvered his hands so he could open the passenger door, and gently laid Elena inside before shutting the door and waiting for Rebekah's answer.

He didn't get one.

She was gone.

He rolled his eyes, walking around to the other side and climbing in. Just as he sat down and started the car, Elena began stirring. She rubbed her temples, groaning, "Where am I?"

"The car. Katherine snapped your neck." He explained.

"Bitch…" She muttered. "Did you get the talisman?"

He pulled the box from his jacket, smirking, "I wasn't leaving here without it."

Elena took it from him, opening the top to finally get a look at what all the fuss was about. "Hey, uh, is there supposed to be something in here?"

"What?" He asked, snatching it back from her.

She rolled her eyes, "Nice going genius. You didn't think to check it before ditching?"

"Dammit…" He cursed, his eyes squeezing shut. "Well where the hell could it be? Shit, I even knew it was too obvious for that bitch! Who doesn't put fish in a fish tank!? I thought I finally outsmarted her and found her secret hiding place."

While Elena had no idea what he meant, something about that last part struck a memory.

That woman she met when she first arrived said something about Katherine's secret. Considering nobody else mentioned anything about it, could that have any relevance?

"Can we make a pit stop? I think I might know where it is."

Finding the woman's house proved difficult. Elena only had her scent and the memory of her car to track her down, but after describing her to one of the townspeople they managed to identify her and tell her where she lived.

Elena and Damon walked up onto the porch and rang the doorbell, waiting until she answered.

"Katherine? I wasn't expecting you so late…" She said, looking down at her pajamas. It was dark out, probably around nine or ten.

"I came to talk about that secret I told you to keep. Remember?"

She smiled and laughed a little, "Of course. Hang on, I'll go get it." She scurried away and returned a moment later, carrying a velvet box. "Here you go."

Elena smirked as she opened it, seeing an old looking necklace inside. Damon breathed, "I'll be damned…"

"Thank you for your help. You've been a doll." Elena grinned, snapping the box closed and turning to leave, Damon following her. She threw herself into the car, smiling at Damon, "That's how it's done."

He shook his head, a smile on his face as she handed the box to him, "I'm impressed, kitten. Now, what do you say we pay a visit to Mystic Falls to drop this little thing off with a certain witch that can destroy it, and then we can go anywhere you want?"

Her lips curved into a smile, "I think that sounds perfect."

If only she knew he had no intentions of leaving Mystic Falls once they got there.

* * *

Once they arrived back in Mystic Falls, it was quickly made clear that they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. After dropping off the talisman to Bonnie under strict orders for her to destroy it, the days turned into weeks, weeks to months, and before any of them knew it nearly three months had passed. The duration had been spent trying to get Elena to turn her humanity back on with little to no success.

Damon felt useless. Every attempt he had at bringing her back to him failed, and it sucked. He couldn't reach her, her friends couldn't reach her, not even her own brother could reach her. She was just existing, drifting through life feeding from whoever she wanted while half of the time not showing her face for weeks at a time. If she wasn't MIA then she was going to school and feeding off of her classmates and compelling herself perfect grades to make up for all of the class she missed. They quickly figured out it was just better if she didn't go to school, but it seemed that nobody could control her when she was like this. She did what she wanted, and she always found a way to keep doing it. That meant that when she got bored of the current scene, she'd take off in the middle of the night to anywhere but Mystic Falls.

But she always came back.

Nobody knew where she went. She could have been in the town right next door or across the country for all they knew. She wouldn't tell them anything either. It was getting painful just to have a conversation with her, which made the need for her humanity to come back all the more urgent.

Her friends and family were losing her, and she didn't care one bit.

Damon still didn't know why she turned her emotions off in the first place. She was least likely to talk to him, he had come to notice. Almost like she was shutting him out specifically, more than anyone else.

It made sense; her emotions were very attached to him, and he probably stirred up all kinds of unwanted things inside of her. He was trying—so hard—to trigger any kind of feeling in her. If he could get a reaction, then he could get her to flip the switch back on. But when she was gone without a trace ninety percent of the time, it made executing his plans all the more complicated.

She was smart. She knew that he had a real chance at igniting some inkling of emotion, so she tried her hardest to shut him out the most. And unfortunately, all of her defenses were working.

He'd even resorted to snapping her neck and locking her up in the basement until she turned it back on.

Needless to say, that had been a bust.

She didn't care about desiccating. She didn't care about the pain he'd been forced to cause her through torture. She didn't care about the temptation of fresh blood nearby, or the confiscation of her daylight ring, or the endless supply of vervain he had pumping through her system.

She didn't care about anything, and that was what hurt the most. Survival was her only priority, and she knew that he would never let her die, therefore all of the torture was moot.

He had no fucking clue what to do. She needed something big; something emotional, something that would force her to feel. Somebody needed to die, or at least come close, just to prove to her that she still could feel despite what she was telling herself.

Putting aside their pathetic failures on the Elena front, the group had been pretty successful just about everywhere else.

Klaus had made one last appearance in Mystic Falls in attempt to threaten the talisman out of them, but Bonnie had destroyed it right in front of his eyes, thus erasing his one purpose for being there. However, Caroline did manage to get under his skin one last time which ended in him permitting Tyler to come back to Mystic Falls once he left. The last remaining hybrid had been forced to leave shortly after Klaus killed his mother because he was out for revenge.

And then there was Katherine, who had showed up around the time Klaus did. She had been snooping around the boarding house for days, acting as a shadow to the brothers while she scoured the place for the talisman. She wasn't too happy about it being stolen from her, but as soon as it was destroyed she bolted as far away from Klaus as possible.

Within the group, it appeared as if Little Gilbert and the witch gave their teenage romance another go. Damon had seen them together in The Grill on more occasions than he would have liked.

He spent his days drinking at the boarding house if he wasn't searching for an answer to bring Elena back, and once the bar at The Grill opened he would head over there and drink some more.

With Elena usually by his side back before all of this happened, he never realized how few people he had in his life.

Actually, without her, he was pretty much on his own.

Ric was dead. Stefan was just as hopeless as the rest of the group, though he had to admit, without Elena around it seemed as if Stefan was hating him less. Small victories, he supposed. The only times he wasn't drinking alone was if Liz happened to stop by after work for a drink and they spent an hour or two talking before she went home to Caroline.

It had never bothered him before, how lonely he was. Because he always had Elena to be there for him, so he never really felt lonely. But now, they could be in the same room and he would feel like he didn't even know who he was looking at.

He missed her. So goddamn much. He was getting desperate.

Now, he had had a lot of terrible ideas in the past, most ending in mass murder. However, this one might just prove to be the worst, which was why he wanted to run it by his brother before even thinking about executing it.

Stefan came walking in the back door, just returning from his hunt. Damon greeted, "Welcome home, Stef. Did Bambi have anything new to say?"

His brother eyed him cautiously, walking towards him. "What do you want?"

Damon's smirk fell, knowing that this conversation wasn't going to happen if he didn't cut the bullshit. Stefan may be an idiot, but he was the only person Damon could trust with this. Ironic, wasn't it? So much time had passed, over a year, in fact, where Stefan was the absolute last person he could trust.

He didn't want to get ahead of himself, but he thought that maybe—just maybe, without a woman standing between them they could repair the shambles of their relationship. Though that was liable to change once Elena's humanity was back on, assuming she'd want anything to do with them.

"It's Elena." He said softly.

As hurt as Stefan was over Elena's choice, he never stopped caring about her. And Damon knew he never would. She would probably always been a sore subject between them, just as had Katherine had been, but Damon dared to have hope that one day they'd be able to talk freely about her just like they could with Katherine.

Stefan's features softened and he sat down, letting out a sigh, "She's a wreck."

"Tell me about it." Damon agreed, sipping on his drink. He was about four in, and would probably need another pretty soon. "Yesterday she tried feeding from Jeremy. She would have too, had he not told her he was ingesting vervain."

Stefan shook his head, "She called our relationship a fling that was never meant to last."

Damon blew out a laugh, "You got off easy, brother. She told me that I wasn't good for anything more than sex. At least she admitted to having a relationship with you."

Stefan wisely didn't comment further. While they had grown closer while trying to help Elena, they weren't quite there yet. Stefan dropped his gaze to the floor and asked, "So what's your plan?"

"You're not gonna like it." Damon warned. "I don't even like it."

"If it gets her humanity back, it'll be worth it." Stefan assured him.

Lifting his drink to his lips, Damon finished off the glass then set it on the coffee table. "Do you trust me with her?"

Stefan brought his gaze to his brothers, pausing before saying, "I used to not trust anyone with you. But now? Yeah, I trust you. Despite everything, I know that you love Elena more than you've ever loved anyone."

Damon nodded, avoiding eye contact. He was never one to know how to take a compliment, if that's what you could even call it.

"Then trust me when I say I want to bring Katherine back into town."

His eyes wide, Stefan asked, "What on earth makes you think that's a good idea?"

"Didn't we already establish it's a terrible idea?" Damon pointed out. "But Elena needs something to make her feel, and if she won't give into any of the emotions we've been trying, then it's time to resort to desperate measures. She's home, right?"

Stefan sighed, "As of now, I believe so. Though that's liable to change any second."

"Go find her, snap her neck, and lock her in the basement. I've got a phone call to make." Damon said, standing up and grabbing his phone. He headed out back while Stefan got into his car and left.

He couldn't believe he was about to do this, but what other choice did he have? Leaving Elena the way she was now was not an option. He reluctantly tapped Katherine's name and listened as it rang.

She answered after a few moments, "Well if it isn't Boy Wonder. Bored of your little toy now that it's broken?"

Yep, he was already regretting this. Closing his eyes, he said, "Green is not a good color on you, Katherine. You really need to get laid after Elijah dumped your ass."

"What makes you think I haven't been? Hiding from Klaus yet again has its perks."

Damon smirked, knowing the hidden contempt behind her tone. She was unhappy. That would make this even easier.

"Speaking of your little predicament, what if I told you I had an offer too good to turn down?"

There was a long pause. So long, Damon would have thought she hung up if he hadn't heard her soft breathing. "If you're playing some kind of joke—"

"I'm not." He sing-songed. "The talisman? Not as destroyed as you think."

"I watched it explode into nothing, Damon, I felt the surge of energy shake the ground." She reminded him.

"It was a fake. Bonnie is an extremely powerful witch, and she faked the entire thing. That wasn't the real talisman." Damon confessed.

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because Bonnie uses expression, an uncontrollable magic that she was struggling with until we got back to Mystic Falls months ago and gave her that talisman. As long as she wears it, Silas's power seems to neutralize her powers. She has more control with it." He explained.

"And you're just going to hand it over, leaving her to spiral out of control?" She asked skeptically.

Damon scoffed, "I don't give a shit about that bitch, Katherine. She can die for all I care. Hell, maybe that'll even get Elena to turn her emotions back on."

"So what's in it for you? What do you want me to do in return?"

He shook his head in disbelief, wondering at what point he lost his mind. "Nothing that you won't fully enjoy doing, that I can promise you." He let out a silent breath before saying, "What do you think about coming back to Mystic Falls for a little torture of your least favorite doppelganger?"

She snorted, "You expect me to believe that I get to torture Elena? That and the talisman is too good of an offer to be real."

"Think about it Katherine." He started. "Elena's humanity is off. We can't torture her because she knows we'd never kill her. But you? You want her dead more than anyone, maybe even Rebekah. She'll believe you're going to kill her. And that fear is what's going to bring her emotions back."

"Let me guess. The catch is that I can't actually kill her?" She tried.

"Bingo. Elena stays alive, you get the talisman."

"And you don't care that I'm going to give it to Klaus? You think after all the trouble you went through to stop me, that I believe you're okay with Klaus having all that power?"

Damon shrugged, "Klaus doesn't want anything to do with us anymore. He's gone. He's in New Orleans with whatever demon child he's having. He lost all interest in us, therefore whatever power he wants to gain won't have any impact on our lives. He can name himself king of the goddamn world for all I care, as long as I never have to see his face again."

Another pause passed, then Katherine said, "You've got yourself a deal, Damon. I'll be there tomorrow."

The line went dead, and Damon prayed he hadn't just made a huge mistake.

* * *

So ideally, Elena's humanity would have come back within days of them returning to Mystic Falls. But I felt like everyone really needed a break from the world revolving around her. So while she's off doing whatever she wants, yes, everybody is worried, but there's nothing they can do to stop her. In the three months living like that, Damon and Stefan have been able to begin repairing their relationship. Since Elena is no longer around, they're able to talk without her being the elephant in the room. Other relationships within the gang are evolving as well. Caroline and Tyler are reuniting, Bonnie and Jeremy are rekindling their romance-I don't really go into their relationships because this is a Delena story, but they are happening.


	22. Chapter 22

Next chapter :) This one's a satisfying one

* * *

"Ugh…" Elena moaned, her face contorting in a grimace as she came to. Her eyes fluttered open and her vision blurred momentarily before a stone ceiling came into view. She licked her dry lips, her brows drawing together slightly as she pushed herself to a seated position. She clutched her head as the room spun, but her vampire healing almost instantly cleared her foggy head and cured her headache.

She looked around the room, only to groan in exasperation when she realized she was in the dungeon of the boarding house, _again_.

"Is this really what we're doing?" She pouted to no one in particular. The brothers were around somewhere listening to her, she just didn't care enough to figure out where. "I thought we already established that torture wouldn't work." She pointed out, moving to her feet to check out the door.

Locked, of course.

She rolled her eyes, figuring it was worth the shot, then flopped back down on the cot she had woken up on. She had no interest in whatever they wanted from her now; she'd already had to resort to skipping town just to breathe every now and then. With everyone practically handcuffed to her at all times of the day, it was suffocating to stick around for more than a few days.

That, and the fun in Mystic Falls was limited. One wrong move, and the council was after her ass, if they even existed anymore after the pastor blew them up.

She heard the basement door opening and continued, "Don't bother; you might as well march right back upstairs because there's nothing anyone can do or say that would get me to change my mind about my humanity."

"Not even me?" A sickly sweet voice mimicking her own sounded, and Elena's blood thickened with a brief bout of anger before it dissipated into nothing.

Katherine's heavily made up face appeared in the barred door, smirking happily as she took in her doppelganger's state. Her hair was a mess, probably from when Stefan snapped her neck and haphazardly tossed her in the cell as if she was nothing more than a doll. She had dirty scuff marks covering her exposed legs and arms, the tiny dress she was wearing not covering much. It looked like Stefan had caught her right before she was set to have a night out. Her skin was gray and her eyes seemed sunken in, proving that she hadn't fed in a while. Probably not since yesterday morning.

It was a _delicious_ sight. So she couldn't kill the girl—big deal. She got to torture her all she wanted as long as she came up with a plan to get her humanity back on, and there were few things that could top that.

Elena narrowed her eyes at her ancestor, " _Especially_ not you."

Katherine laughed to herself, swinging open the latch to push the door open. She stood casually in the door frame, her black pumps sitting unevenly on the ragged floor yet she showed no signs of imbalance. She flicked some of her thick curls over her shoulder, grinning, "You're related to me alright. That's the Petrova fire in you, but of course I've known that since we first met. I just didn't expect you to give up so quickly."

"Give up?" Elena scoffed. "Please. I fixed all of my problems in one fell swoop. I didn't give up."

Katherine snorted, "No? You're laying around in a filthy dungeon without so much as lifting a finger towards getting what you want. You're a disgrace to our family's name."

"I'm not your family." Elena snapped, squeezing her eyes shut. She shook her head, reprimanding herself for letting Katherine get to her, then stood up and crossed her arms defiantly.

Katherine looked on with pure amusement, sarcastically saying, "No, not at all." She smirked at the way Elena's jaw tightened imperceptibly. "But seriously, why are you still here?" Elena furrowed her brows, leading Katherine to explain, "Your humanity's off. You don't care. Why. Are. You. Here?"

"Because Stefan snapped my neck—?"

"No, you moron." Katherine rolled her eyes. "Mystic Falls. You could be anywhere in the world right now, yet you're still moping around this sad little town. I've seen your attempts at leaving." Her lips curled into a dangerous smirk when she was Elena swallow thickly. "You think nobody knows about how you go to the next state over, feed until you're up to your ears in blood, and then have a breakdown. Your emotions are too strong to stay subdued, because you're a Petrova."

Elena clenched her jaw, her expression otherwise emotionless. Nothing the older vampire was saying wasn't true. Since the second she flipped her switch it had been a battle with herself to keep it like that. Her humanity had an iron grip around her monster, and the monster was struggling to keep her humanity away from the switch.

Katherine took a few more steps towards her, saying, "I was never able to leave my switch off for long, you know. The longest I lasted was six months. Eventually I decided that if I didn't want to feel, I had to remake myself. I put my own well being first, because that was the only way of life I knew. It was life over death, and I will still stand by it." She paused, taking in the girl's disinterested expression. She then changed the topic, "We're more alike than you think Elena, and I'm not talking about the Salvatore's."

That grabbed Elena's attention, and her gaze flicked up to Katherine's curiously.

"There's a darkness inside of us." Katherine continued seriously. "I choose to wear mine on my sleeve. I know who I am, and I won't change for anybody but myself. My darkness has followed me my entire life, just like yours has. My child was ripped from my arms as soon as I gave birth. My family was murdered in cold blood by a killer that wanted to sacrifice me. I turned myself to save my own hide, and I'd do it again in a second if I had to. Your darkness started when you were born though, hadn't it? Adoptive parents who raised you, lying to you about it your entire life, and then it was your fault they died just like it was mine that my parents died. "

"It was _not_ my fault." Elena interrupted her.

She bit out a laugh, "Believe what you want. Just like it wasn't my fault that Klaus killed my family." Elena tersely crossed her arms, and Katherine continued, "Anyways, your parents died, your aunt died, your biological parents died, blah-blah-blah, who cares. Then we move onto you becoming a vampire. That darkness wasn't something the monster could—or even wanted—to control." She took a breath, deciding to share one small personal detail of her past even if the girl had probably heard it before. "I fell in love with Stefan because he invoked the girl I was before the darkness took over. But you…Stefan was never meant to be yours, just like Damon could never be mine, even if he wanted it more than anything."

Elena's nails pierced the skin on her palm at the mere mention of Katherine and Damon's history, and the scent of her blood perfumed the air. Katherine smirked, but didn't comment on it.

"You fell in love with Damon because you saw a man that wasn't afraid to embrace the darkest parts of himself. You lived a simple life, Elena, that you should be grateful for. By the time I met him, I was too much like him to ever fall for him. He was good for a quick fuck when I needed it, but that was about it."

"Did you really come here to give me some kind of life talk about who you think I am? Can we get to the point?" Elena ground out.

Katherine smirked evilly, flashing over in front of the baby vampire and grabbing her chin with one hand to force her to look at her. She softly said, "By the time I'm through with you, you'll be _begging_ for me to get to the point."

With her other hand, she took a vial of vervain from her pocket and forced it into Elena's mouth, using her strength to keep her still as it singed her skin and she screamed in pain.

Katherine tossed her forcefully to the ground, crouching next to her and grabbing a fistful of her hair, "Our boys would never seriously hurt you, little girl, but we both know that I have no reservations adding one more dead body to my list."

In that moment, a spark of true fear lit up inside of Elena, sending the adrenaline pumping when she realized that Katherine _would_ kill her and not think twice about it. She shook her head against the evil vampire's painful grasp, "They'll never let you kill me. They'll stop you before you get the chance."

Katherine chuckled, "Oh, honey…how? They're both three states away looking for me."

* * *

Damon couldn't take listening to her screams for another second. He quickly snatched his keys from his pocket and silently stormed outside to his car. He had to get out of there before he broke and ruined everything.

He thought he could handle it; Katherine promised she wouldn't kill Elena so long as she got the talisman, and Damon believed her for once. Elena was her leverage. If she didn't get the talisman, Elena really would be dead.

But that didn't mean he had to subject himself to listening to Elena's whimpers and screams every time Katherine tortured her a little more.

It hadn't started off that bad. He wanted to be there just in case, so he had hunkered down in his room with a bottle of bourbon, intent on making sure he could still hear Elena's barely-there heartbeat.

When Katherine wasn't getting anywhere after the first few minutes, she upped the ante. He had no idea what she was doing to his girl down there, and frankly, he didn't want to know. She was bound to have come up with thousands of torture methods over the years. Elena's cries of pain and starvation were proof enough that they weren't anything you'd want to see.

He listened to all of the hurtful things Katherine told her, goading her, making fun of her…if he thought Rebekah was cruel to Elena, he had never heard the contempt with which Katherine talked to her. Countless remarks about her family, friends, and love life were rained down upon his girl's heart, and when not even that stirred any emotions that Katherine could work with, Damon had no interest in sticking around to see what would happen next.

When Katherine saw the tattoo on Elena's shoulder…that was perhaps the hardest to listen to, because her words didn't just hurt Elena like she'd intended. They'd cut deep on him too, even if he'd sooner drink a bunny than admit the bitch still had an effect on him.

 _Damon's not worth loving_ , she'd laughed, _he's a love sick puppy that will bend to your every desire until you get bored of him. He's not worth a second of anyone's time, let alone a goddamn tattoo._

Maybe she had said those things to bring out Elena's love for him, or maybe she was just voicing her opinion. Either way, he was going to need a stiff drink to even begin to dull the pain.

Almost instinctively, he reached for his phone in his pocket as he drove down the road only to pause and bring his hand back to the wheel when he remembered the only person he wanted to have a drink with was dead. He sadly wondered when he'd stop doing that and he'd really understand that he was never going to have a drink with Ric again.

Deciding to forgo the Grill where everyone knew him, he drove in the opposite direction, further out of town. He pulled up to some trucker bar about a mile outside of the city limits and killed the engine.

To be honest, he didn't even feel like drinking if he didn't have someone there to listen to his drunk rambling, but being drunk and alone was better than being sober and alone.

Begrudgingly, he swung open the car door and went inside, not bothering to even glance around at the looks he received from some of the patrons from slamming open the door so fast. He heavily sat down at the bar, signaling for the middle aged woman working to bring him a drink—he didn't care what anymore, as long as it got him drunk.

She returned with the bottle, and he poured the entire thing down his throat in one go. After compelling her not to stop serving him, she brought another bottle over. The booze was starting to take effect already, and as he reached for the neck of the bottle he missed and it toppled over onto the bar, thankfully the cap stopped it from spilling.

"Drunk already?"

Damon glanced up and saw the person he least expected to find out here.

His brother.

"I think the question would be better phrased as a statement. 'Drunk already.' Why yes, baby bro, I am. Care to join me?" He sloppily pushed the bottle towards Stefan, pasting a grin on his face.

Stefan shrugged and took the seat next to him, unscrewing the cap and taking a long swig. He had bailed from the house as soon as Katherine showed up, without so much as a note saying where he was going. Not that Damon had cared much, but a sign that he wasn't dead would have been nice.

"Elena?" Stefan asked quietly, staring into the bottle.

Damon flicked his brows up, confirming, "Elena. Katherine too, but mostly Elena."

 _Why would you even want a guy like him? I mean, daddy issues, mommy issues, brother issues, just about any problem you can think of, he's got it. Tack on the bloodlust of a vampire, and you've got a recipe for one fucked up guy._

Bitch.

Stefan chuckled, "Tell me about it."

Had he said that out loud? He frowned slightly, but grabbed the bottle from his brother and downed another shot anyways.

Stefan dragged his finger around the edge of a coaster, "How's it going at the house?"

"'Bout as well as it could, when it involves Katherine." Damon said tiredly. He glanced at his brother, wondering when the brotherly bonding was going to commence. It was inevitable, really. The night would either end with fists flying or drunken confessions—knowing them it would probably be a little bit of both.

Stefan's fidgeting hands stilled, and he blurted out, "Do you remembering that time when we were kids, and I had been playing in Dad's office and broke that vase?"

"I covered for your ass and in return I got my ass beat." Damon confirmed. "Dad was a dick. Old news."

"I never told you why I was really in his office though." Stefan said, almost seeming regretful.

Damon narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "You weren't screwing around with that toy horse Mom got you?"

He shook his head, "No. I was looking for your stuffed teddy bear that Dad confiscated when you accidentally spilled milk on one of the expensive rugs. You had gotten back my toys for me so many times, and I wanted to return the favor."

Without any sarcasm or hidden emotion in his tone, Damon asked, "So you went snooping in his office to try to find it?"

Stefan smiled a little, "Yeah. But the drawer of that end table was sticking, and I yanked it a little too hard and the vase tumbled to the ground. Naturally, I went running to you before Dad found out. You always knew what to do."

Damon shrugged, feeling some unnamed emotion akin to loving his brother scratching at his insides, "I was seven years older than you. It was my job to protect you. That's what I promised Mom on the day you were born."

There was a long pause as Stefan absorbed his brother's confession. He couldn't stop himself from thinking how terribly he mistreated Damon over the years. Sure, Damon had lost himself in vampirism along the way, but Stefan wasn't exactly innocent himself. Hell, he was probably worse. The only reason Damon held so much anger towards him was because he failed to be there for him when he needed his brother the most.

"You never told me that." He commented lightly.

Damon frowned easily, "Never had a need to."

Stefan swallowed thickly, "Mom always was your best friend."

Not knowing what to say, Damon stayed silent.

"She would have adored Elena."

The dark haired vampire nodded, "Would have adored her like her own."

"I haven't seen you smile the way you do when you're with Elena since she died." Stefan commented quietly, earning a raised brow from Damon. As much as he was enjoying drunkenly reminiscing about a time long passed with his little brother, he was eager for him to get to the point. Noticing his dwindling patience, Stefan continued, "I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I never realized how much family meant to you until I saw the way you love Elena. She brings out the person you were before Katherine. The way you were so carefree and my best friend. I know I gave you a lot of shit about Elena over the years, but I'd have to a blind idiot not to see the way you two love each other. Hell, she gave up her life for you. I think I'll always be a little pissed that you two are together, but for the first time since that phone call when she was on her way to you, I've finally accepted that your relationship isn't going anywhere."

Damon shot him a sideways glance from where he'd been intently staring at the wall of liquor, "Is this your idea of some kind of apology?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Stefan confirmed, slightly disappointed with his brother's reaction.

Sighing, Damon shook his head, "Your words mean nothing to me, brother. If you want to show me you're sorry for the complete ass you've been, then do something about it. Help me bring Elena back instead of running off the second things get tough. You ran when she transitioned. You ran when we got together. You ran when she tried apologizing to you, into her worst enemy's arm, might I remind you, and you run every time we get close to having a feasible plan that would bring her humanity back."

Looking as ashamed as he should be, Stefan morosely said, "I know. And I don't have any excuses for that. I let my personal feelings stand in the way of being there for Elena, and I shouldn't have. She needed me, and I couldn't even suck it up long enough to do that. But not anymore. Whatever you need, just let me know and I'll do what I can."

Tired of the heart to heart, Damon wiggled the waning contents of his bottle in Stefan's face and jibed, "Another bottle of bourbon would be great."

Stefan sighed, "So which one was it that inspired the binge this time?" Damon shot him a glare before finishing off the bottle, and Stefan motioned for the bartender to bring another. "I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and guess that it was Katherine."

"What tipped you off?" Damon sneered, his words slurring slightly as his control slipped further and further away.

"It was your idea to bring her here." He pointed out. "You can only blame yourself."

Damon looked at him incredulously, "You're almost as big of a dick as me."

His brother chuckled, "If it's coming from you, I know it's got to be true."

Rolling his eyes, Damon handed over the new bottle and Stefan took a swig, accepting it gratefully. Damon started, "At least through all our problems, it seems that Katherine stopped being one of them."

Smiling, Stefan agreed, "God, I hate that bitch."

Damon laughed, "You don't know how good it is to hear that."

They passed the bottle between each other countless more times throughout the night, both of them getting progressively more drunk until neither could walk in a straight line. They argued, they bonded, they fought and offered half assed apologies that would mean nothing come morning when neither remembered any of it, but they were still apologies, and that was more than the brothers had shared in decades.

* * *

"Now, are you ready to finally have this conversation?" Katherine asked the gasping girl whose heart was currently in her hand, her face contorted in an odd mix of fear and disinterest. As fun as inflicting every method of pain possible on her was, she had to admit that it was growing tedious.

Katherine had spent all of last night wearing her down, bleeding her dry and letting her pass out, only to wake up a few moments later starved for blood and ignoring the offer of a bag dangling in front of her face. When she had gotten bored, she'd decided just to wait until morning. By then, maybe Elena would have broken down just a little bit more.

Elena's heavy eyes slowly opened through a grimace of pain, and she hoarsely asked, "Why haven't you just killed me yet?"

Smirking, the older vampire taunted, "Because it's so much more fun to toy with my prey first. Surely you agree, don't you killer?"

Elena made no sign that she even heard her, let alone felt anything at her accusation. She had gotten out the reason for her flipping the switch yesterday, and she immediately regretted it. Now, it only gave Katherine more ammunition to tease her about how weak she was; how she couldn't even handle killing some people even though she was a vampire and it was in her nature.

She was a joke to the vampire species.

Katherine moved closer to her face and asked, "Now, how about you turn that switch back on so when I kill you, I can see your true feelings."

Elena coughed and wheezed as Katherine gripped her heart more tightly, and her efforts of pulling the woman's hand from her chest did nothing to stop her. She managed to bite out, "Never."

Katherine shrugged, "So you won't turn them on for me—fine. What if I told you that before I kill you, I'll give you one last goodbye to whoever you want?" Elena looked at her skeptically, clearly not believing a single word. Katherine chuckled, "Call it one last parting gift for family."

Even if Elena thought she was telling the truth, there wouldn't be a point. "Everyone hates me." She ground out, clenching her jaw through the pain. "Nobody would even want a goodbye from me anyways. So do it. Kill me. You'll be doing me a favor."

Katherine's smug smirk faltered at that, morphing into narrowed eyes. She sighed and pulled her hand from the girl's chest, letting her slump to the ground, "You really are pathetic." After cleaning off the blood on her hand, Katherine said, "You're smart, Elena. Tell me why I'm really here."

Taking in the resignation Katherine seemed to have accepted, Elena answered, "Because one of our boys brought you here."

Smiling deviously, Katherine added, "To turn your humanity on. But now I can see that you're not going to do it for anyone. There's no point in you being in here. So go. Get out of here. Leave town for all I care. I got to have my fun with you, and I'll be on my way as soon as I get what I was promised."

Moving to her feet, Elena braced herself on the wall, "Torturing me wasn't enough? What, have you come to try to get Stefan back again since Elijah dumped your ass?"

Laughing, Katherine said, "No, torturing you was the cherry on top. I was promised something else, something that would probably send that witchy best friend of yours straight to the grave, but hey, what do you care?"

"Bonnie? You're going to kill Bonnie?" Elena asked, worry seeping into her tone. "Why? What do you get from that?"

Katherine smirked smugly, "Worried about your friend? Well, I'll make sure to make her death quick. I won't draw it out, just for your sake. I wouldn't want to make you _feel_ or anything like that."

Elena raised her chin defiantly, "You're lying. You're not going to kill Bonnie."

"Aren't I?" Katherine challenged. "Or is the not-so-destroyed talisman Damon promised me not going to kill your little friend when I take it?"

"Damon wouldn't do that." She said confidently, choosing to ignore the fact that Katherine knew about the talisman still being intact meaning Damon had been serious.

Using her words against her, Katherine mocked, "But everyone hates you, Elena. Of course Damon would kill Bonnie. He doesn't care about you anymore—he stopped the second you stopped being what he wanted. He called me here to bring your humanity back, but it wasn't so things could just fall back into place like they had been before. It was to ease his own guilty conscience. Could you imagine letting someone you love die for you, then failing them by not doing a damn thing to teach them about vampirism? You weren't the first person Damon turned, but you were his biggest failure, wouldn't you agree? I mean, look at you. Begging for death because of your own childish insecurities… On second thought, I think I'm just going to bail. You're a lost cause, and since I'm not going to get what I want, there's no point in sticking around."

Elena silently glared at her, the words somehow latching on to a piece of her that she didn't know had surfaced. The padlock on that box inside of her was breaking, and there wasn't shit she could do to stop it.

So she ran.

Using the last of her strength, she flashed past Katherine and outside, running until the need for blood was the only thing pounding in her head.


	23. Chapter 23

Sorry about the short wait, I kind of lost motivation to read and review this story but I think I'm back now!

Enjoy :)

* * *

"What do you mean you let her go!?" Damon snapped into his phone, his mind reeling from just having woken up to a massive hangover and that news. He was still passed out in the backseat of his car, with his brother sprawled across the front passenger seat and sleeping soundly. Though with his rising anger, he probably wouldn't be asleep much longer.

Katherine rolled her eyes, "I mean just that, Damon. I wasn't getting anywhere with her, so I let her go."

"And you realize this means there's no way in hell you're getting that talisman now, right?"

"Would you relax?" She chuckled. "So tense. You really are in need of a good fucking." Damon snorted and she continued, "I have a plan though. I want that talisman, and I'll do whatever it takes to get it."

"Enlighten me then." Damon deadpanned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn't fed in a while, and the hangover wasn't subsiding as fast as he'd like.

There was a pause on the line before Katherine admitted, "She's feeling, Damon. She's just not there yet. I know what has to happen, but you're not going to like it."

"You're not killing anyone." He said instantly, knowing Katherine better than she thought.

She blew out a laugh, "Not permanently, anyways."

"You're not turning anyone either!" He snapped, his frustration shooting through the roof. "You know what? Forget it, Katherine, you failed. You're not getting the talisman, and I'm not getting my girlfriend back. We both lose. Go back to whatever hell hole you crawled out of and leave us the hell alone."

Katherine exhaled, "Wow, that hangover must be a bitch if you're this snippy." He rolled his eyes a bit back a retort. "Does Jeremy still have that nifty little ring of his?"

"So you're gonna kill Jeremy?" Damon snorted.

She smirked into the phone, "No. I'm not going to do a damn thing. Elena's a Petrova whether she wants to admit it or not. I know how to get her humanity back on because she's more like me than any of you realize. You're going to listen to what I say, and then when it works, I get the talisman and you never have to see me again."

Damon knew it was a bad idea to trust her. Stefan had stirred in the front seat and even given him a glare when he beckoned for Katherine to get on with it, but he ignored it. He had no other options at the moment, and he feared that if he didn't get Elena back soon he would break.

So he listened to her convoluted plan as she told him every last one of Elena's insecurities and how he needed to dig at them to urge her into feeling. Anger and hate wasn't going to bring her humanity back, but it was a start to get her feeling.

He hadn't realized half of the things Katherine told him about. Had he known the she thought they all hated her right now, maybe he would have forced her to sit down and he would have tried talking to her, maybe eliciting some emotion. He had no clue she still blamed herself for all of the death around her, and he was sure that nothing Katherine said had helped ease her guilty conscious.

It was heartbreaking listening to all of the ways the love of his life didn't think she was enough.

But he had to admit, it was a good plan Katherine had. When she finished telling them, he looked to the front seat for his brother's thoughts and when he nodded in approval, Damon begrudgingly agreed to it.

By the end of the night, he would have Elena back in his arms and Katherine would have her talisman.

He just didn't know if Elena could ever forgive him for what he had to do.

* * *

He didn't want to be here. Least of all knowing that Elena was about to walk in at any moment, thanks to his brother's text signaling she was on her way with Caroline.

The blonde managed to convince her that if she wasn't going to turn her humanity on, they should at least still have a night or two of letting loose and drinking. It hadn't been that hard to convince her to go, because Elena knew that Caroline was the last person that was going to get her humanity back.

 _Sometimes, she comes in handy_ , Damon thought flippantly.

He finished off his drink before getting to his feet and doing one more scan of the bar. They were in the next town over—out of Mystic Falls, at some biker bar wedged between a Laundromat and a shitty looking bakery that closed down long ago. The patrons were everything you'd expect. Middle aged women wearing clothing from their twenties, men with beer guts and beards reaching said guts, and the occasional drug addict crammed into the corner booth, shaking from withdrawal as they waited for their dealer to come through.

Damon briefly recalled the extensive drug use he participated in when heroin and cocaine were as easy to get as bubblegum and mints. What a hell of a ride they were…

His eyes finally landed on a woman sitting alone at the bar. She had dark hair, as dark his own, that reached her mid-back in large, loose curls. She had fair skin and a gorgeous face, and Damon wondered why she had yet to attract the attention of any surrounding males. Her ruby red lips latched onto the edge of her bottle of beer as she took a drink, and Damon watched as she swallowed, her pulse thrumming steadily in her neck.

She'd be a damn good option to feed from in a place like this, but that wasn't his main goal. He checked his phone once more, noticing he now had a text from Caroline saying that she was just getting into town.

Time for action.

Damon sidled up next to her, pasting on his signature smirk and flashing her his baby blue's, "Bud Light? Didn't know you liked drinking water that calls itself beer."

The corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk reminding him too much of Katherine for his comfort, and she replied, "The first words out of your mouth are an insult? Already off to a good start."

Now he knew why she wasn't fending off men with a bat.

He shrugged noncommittally, "I like to make an impression."

"Even if it's bad?" She countered, a perfectly arched brow raised.

He smirked, "Is it bad?"

She faltered for a brief moment, her eyes sparkling with amusement, "Surprisingly, no…"

He made a deliberate move of raking his gaze over her body while licking his lips, and when he met her green eyes again he noticed the slight blush to her cheeks. "I'm Damon."

Dropping her gaze for a second, she smiled, "Jade."

"Let me buy you a real drink, Jade. Pick your poison."

She gave her order of whiskey to the bartender, and Damon handed him enough money to cover it along with a tip. Jade then turned to him and said, "So, what brings you out here tonight?"

"Booze." Damon said instantly, earning a giggle. "Lots and lots of booze, but real booze. Not this cheap stuff." He flicked the neck of the bottle and she rolled her eyes. "No, the real question is what's a girl dressed in a four hundred dollar dress doing in this place?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "How did you know my dress was four hundred dollars?"

He smirked, "I know designer when I see it."

Glancing down at his own button up shirt, she chuckled, "John Varvatos. I should have known."

He shot her a panty dropping smile then pointed out, "You never answered my question."

She shrugged, "Life's a bitch. I come here when I need a break."

"I'll drink to that." Damon snorted, Jade not knowing just how true that was.

They clinked their glasses and took a drink, and like clockwork Damon's seduction was doing its job. Without any prompting, Jade reached out to his forearm that was lying on the bar top and lightly trailed her fingers his exposed skin, "Maybe we could forget about all of our problems together…"

A slow smirk grew across his face just as he heard his girl's voice coming from outside. They were here, and Blondie couldn't have had better timing. Damon spun on his stool to face Jade and placed both of his hands on her bare thighs, leaning in closer, "Looks like that drink finally did its job."

She grinned and he moved his hands to her hips, tugging her forwards easily until she was straddling his lap. He trailed his hands up and down her sides as she leaned down to kiss him. He snuck a quick glance at the door, spotting Elena just walking in, and then he closed his eyes and kissed her back with as much lust as he could muster up. She was a beautiful woman and all, but he was a one woman man nowadays, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

While she kissed him as if she was trying to suck his teeth out of his mouth, he listened for anything from Elena or Caroline.

Then he heard a sharp gasp from his girl, and it just about killed him not to pull away. This was how it had to be if he had any hopes of getting his girl back.

Then he heard Caroline say, "Oh my god, does he know this a public place?"

It took Elena a moment to reply, but she eventually did, "I didn't realize he was seeing other people…"

Caroline shot back, her tone implying that Elena was crazy for thinking otherwise, "It's Damon! What did you expect? I mean, did you really think he was just going to wait around for you until you decided to flip the switch back on?"

Jade's hands were getting more and more touchy, but Damon was able to subdue her a little bit longer by grabbing her ass and earning a moan. It was all wrong—not the right tone, not the right length, not the right _woman_ …

Elena then replied, "No, I mean, of course not…" He could hear the disappointment, and he knew that he was going to be paying for this when she was back to herself. "I didn't even want him to wait for me, because there's nothing to wait for. I'm done with emotions."

Caroline asked in disbelief, "So it doesn't bother you to watch your ex get it on with some other slut in a bar in the middle of nowhere?"

"No, why would it?"

Even Caroline could hear how fake she sounded. Knowing their plan was working, the blonde threw in, "Good. That means we don't have to leave. I guess I forgot when I was picking a bar out of town that he's been hooking up with any woman he can find in just about any bar within a ten mile radius of Mystic Falls."

"He has?"

She tried to mask her devastation with indifference, but Damon saw right through it. And Jade was getting more antsy, whispering things about leaving against his lips.

Caroline returned, "Of course he has, Elena. You're my best friend, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you're nothing special to him. You've probably always been a Katherine clone, honestly. When he was denied by the real thing, he settled for the next best. And now that you're more like her, he's just…lost interest. You had to have seen that coming."

"No, I wasn't Katherine to him…" She said unsurely, almost as if her mind was racing with every single moment they shared since they met, analyzing and rehashing every single word and touch. Damon mentally cringed.

Caroline shrugged as she said, "What does it matter, right? He doesn't mean anything to you anymore."

Elena hastily agreed, "Yeah, no, nothing."

Damon chose that moment to whisper to Jade, "Let's head out back. I can't wait as long as it would take to find a place…"

She nodded easily and stood up, grabbing his hand and practically dragging him out the back by the bathrooms. The last thing he heard before the door closed was Elena's scoff.

When they were outside, Damon immediately gave up the act and had a quick bite to eat from her while they were out there before compelling her to forget and sending her on her way. Damon spent a few more minutes outside to make his 'hookup' seem more realistic, and then he headed back inside. As soon as he came into Elena's sight, he ran a hand through his hair as if smoothing it down from Jade's hands, and he pretended to zip his fly again as if he had forgotten earlier.

And it worked. As soon as he made eye contact with Elena and faked being surprised to see her across the room, she rolled her eyes in disgust and stormed outside. Caroline sent him an encouraging thumbs up as she followed closely behind. Everything must be going to plan, then.

Bracing himself for the emotional pain the next step would bring him, Damon whipped out his phone and texted his brother who was back in Mystic Falls with Jeremy.

 _Caroline's convincing Elena to go back to Mystic Falls so they can get drunk in the woods behind our house. Meet us out there in forty._

Damon waited until he heard Elena and Caroline get in the car to leave before he went outside and got in his own to follow them. The drive back into town was only about twenty minutes, but it took a little longer when the blonde had to stop at a liquor store to get booze first.

He circled the neighborhood a time or two until he spotted Caroline's car parked a ways down the street and couldn't detect either girl in the house. He leisurely strode inside, intent on getting one more drink before tracking them down. However, he realized that wasn't going to be possible unless he wanted to go downstairs, because the two girls lifted his bottle of bourbon too. He scowled to himself before flinging open the back door and striding into the night. As he neared the edge of the woods, he listened closely for their voices through the crickets and wildlife. Now that summer was just around the corner, the woods were filled with more life.

He picked up Caroline's shrill voice on the outer edge of the property where he believed there was an old dilapidated shack from back when the civil war was going on and confederate soldiers set up outposts for storing supplies. Knowing Giuseppe, he would have had it stocked around the clock to make sure his side never went without food and weapons.

It only took him mere seconds to come to the small clearing, and he didn't bother trying to lurk around to gauge their conversation first. Instead, he strode right in, earning an irritated growl from Caroline, "Seriously? We came out here in the middle of nowhere to _escape_ you!"

He shrugged casually, noting that Barbie was a better actress than he gave her credit for, "You're on my property, Blondie, if anything, I should be calling up your mom and reporting you for trespassing."

She rolled her eyes, and Damon chanced a look at Elena. She was staring into the bottom of her vodka bottle, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"So, what are you two doing out here anyways?" He asked, stepping closer to where they were lounging on some fallen logs.

Caroline got to her feet and sneered, "Trying to find somewhere we can be alone, which clearly the message didn't get through your thick skull. Now leave."

Damon smirked, "Again, my property Barbie, but I guess I can't blame you for wanting to get away. Unfortunately for you, you picked a property inhabited by two vampires. He then turned to Elena, "And you, Elena, have a bounty on your head that I just couldn't resist collecting." Her head shot up at that and she stared at him with furrowed brows. The sound of footsteps in the distance sounded only if they tapped into their senses, and Damon added, "Oh look, here comes your parole officer now!"

Elena paused as she took a moment to use her senses to identify the figures, and then she asked incredulously, "You called Stefan and Jeremy? What exactly are they supposed to be able to do?"

He shrugged, "Beats me. All I know is my brother promised me a two thousand dollar bottle of scotch if I found you and kept you long enough for him to get his hands on you."

She swallowed thickly, "You really weren't trying to turn my humanity on this whole time, were you?"

"I told you before, Elena, I don't care if you have it or not. But I fell in love with the woman you were—not this. It's been over four months, I've moved on. Why should I have waited around for you to do something you didn't want to do?"

Silence hung heavy in the air surrounding the three of them, only to be interrupted a few moments later when Stefan emerged with Jeremy behind him. The kid immediately scurried over to his sister, "Elena? What are you doing out here?"

He reached for her arm, but she ripped it out of his grip while sending an angry glare at Damon. There it was; the _anger_. He mentally cheered and seeing as she wasn't about to answer Jeremy, Stefan spoke up, "We've been looking for you. Ever since Katherine let you out—"

"Yeah, thanks for that, by the way." She snapped, her face contorting in fury. "I don't know what my favorite part was. The torture, or listening to that bitch's smug voice as she inflicted it."

Jeremy piped up, "We only did what we thought would get your humanity back—"

"Well that sure worked, didn't it? Don't you get it? I _can't_ turn it back on! I've done things that would give me nightmares if I ever let myself feel! Lives I can't give back, fear I can't take away, and pain I can't get rid of with oceans of vampire blood!"

And there was the fear. She was boiling over.

Damon scoffed, "Oh, so now you're afraid of feeling? Why, because you know that when you can, the pain of knowing that everyone here will never forgive you for anything you've done will be too much? I gave you too much credit, Elena. I thought you were stronger than to let someone else's opinions get in your way." She was breathing heavily, looking around frantically for some kind of out that didn't exist. Damon came closer to her, walking until he was mere feet away, "I guess that's on me though. I should have known better than to think a child would be able to come through this."

"What the hell, man, back off!" Jeremy shouted, giving him a shove to move him away from his sister.

Damon glared daggers at him, "What, afraid the poor little baby will break hearing the truth? Come on, Jeremy, she got herself into this, and she's going to have to get herself out!"

"Not like this! Not by making her hate herself!"

"Watch me." Damon retorted, his eyes flashing with an unhinged anger that was all a part of the plan.

Jeremy stepped in front of him again, "Over my dead body."

Damon smirked evilly, flashing behind Jeremy and grabbing his head in a headlock so all it would take was one twist, and he'd be dead. Elena yelped, "Stop!"

He looked up to her, seeing her struggle to keep her emotions locked away. Damon raised a brow, "What? It's not like you care, right?"

She blanched, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she snapped it shut and crossed her arms. She had just come up with some kind of resolve, but it was weak. She haughtily said, "You won't do it."

"Are you calling my bluff?" He countered.

"Jeremy has his ring. I can see it right now on his finger." She pointed out.

Damon bobbed his head back and forth, frowning, "Good point, I suppose. Except, now that Jeremy is a supernatural creature, it won't work on him. Killing Silas may have lifted the Hunter's curse, but it didn't change the fact that he has supernatural blood running through him."

Her eyes widened, but she quickly covered up her shock, "You're lying."

"And you're gambling with the devil, my dear." Damon smirked, right before he twisted.

Jeremy's body slumped to the ground, and Elena screamed his name as she dropped to her knees and shook his shoulders.

Damon glanced around him, seeing Caroline still off to the side looking a little paler than normal, and he gave her a small smile and nodded towards the house, telling her that he could handle it from here. She nodded back and gave him an appreciative smile before vanishing into thin air. He glanced at Stefan, who was staring at Elena like she was breaking his heart all over again, and caught his gaze. Stefan clenched his jaw but nodded once, giving Damon as much consent for his relationship with Elena as possible in the moment. For the first time, he stuck around to help out.

Damon knelt down across from Elena, Jeremy laying between them. "You feel that? Sad because your brother's dead?"

She was sobbing uncontrollably, her hands fisted in Jeremy's shirt.

"I guess it's a good thing that I lied, and the ring will still work." He picked up Jeremy's hand adorned in the gaudy ring and showed it to Elena. Her crying subsided slightly and she glanced up at him, "And that? That's relief, that he's not really dead."

She sucked in a sharp breath before the dam broke, and _everything_ came flooding in. Her entire body shook as nearly five months worth of emotions overwhelmed her.

Damon was instantly at her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she gasped, "No, I-I can't, I—oh my god, it's _so_ much!"

He soothed, "You're okay, baby, it's okay. Pick one thing to focus on, Elena, and don't let it go. Something that's easy to grab onto, something that's right there." He continued to hold her against his chest, cradling her body in his lap as her cries slowly died down and she stopped shaking like a leaf.

Her breathing evened out into deep, steady breaths and with one last sniffle she lifted her head to look between the two brothers. They held their breath as they waited to see her reaction.

She silently extricated herself from Damon's arms and got to her feet, wiping away an errant tear and the dried paths from where her makeup ran. She had no idea what to say. She didn't even know where to start. Everything was fucked, and she knew that as well as anyone else.

The past four months or so had pretty much been a disaster. She screwed up. Over and over. And frankly, she wasn't sure how either brother was even looking at her right now after every hurtful thing she said to them.

Damon stood up as well as she began shaking her head. It looked like she was about to say something, until she changed her mind and blurted out, "We should get Jeremy back to the house."

Knowing that was as good as it was going to get for the moment, Damon nodded, "I got him. You two can head back to the house if you want, it'll only take a minute."

Elena nodded, looked to Stefan, gave him a small smile, and then began walking to the house.

Damon watched as his brother shot him a meaningful look then followed her into the woods.

What a fucking mess this was. He could see the pure hate Elena felt for herself in her eyes. It was almost like he was looking into his own eyes. She had done a lot of terrible things without her humanity, but it was nothing that wouldn't have happened at some point. She was bound to go off the rails eventually, and the sooner that happened, the sooner he could bring her back.

And now that she's back, he wasn't even sure where to start.


	24. Chapter 24

This one gets cheesy, y'all :)

* * *

Elena sat huddled in a blanket on the couch, watching her brother sleep, or whatever he was doing, as she waited for him to wake up. Damon was standing with his alcohol, looking into the fire.

They had hardly talked at all, save for a 'no' when he asked her if she wanted to take her brother to their house or stay here. They needed to, and they both knew it, but Elena was insistent on making sure her brother was okay first.

She was feeling again, and the emotion she focused on like Damon said…well, it was her love for him. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to balance every last ounce of her sanity on a man that hated her right now and couldn't care less. Maybe some of what he said wasn't true, it was just him trying to get her to feel, but that didn't mean all of it wasn't true.

And the thought of him not loving her anymore was too much to handle, so she chose to ignore it.

"How much longer do you think he'll be out?" She asked timidly, not wanting to disrupt the calm before the storm.

Damon lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug, "Any second now, I'd guess."

Elena nodded and hugged the blanket closer to her, fighting off more tears as thoughts of Damon hating her filtered in anyways.

Minutes of silence passed between them and just when Elena plucked up the courage to say his name, Jeremy woke up with a gasp and bolted upright.

She abandoned what she was going to say, as if she knew what that was, and went to his side to make sure he was really okay. They hugged, Elena apologized, and Jeremy forgave her, just like that. She couldn't have been more grateful to have a brother that understood and wasn't upset with her.

After making sure he was okay, Jeremy insisted on getting home, claiming that he was going to call Bonnie to let her know what happened. Elena was glad to see that her brother and best friend were back together, and he drove himself home with his car that he and Stefan had driven there earlier. Elena really just wanted to be with Damon, so she declined riding home with him and he gave her a knowing look before kissing her cheek through the car window and driving off.

Then it was just Elena and Damon. Well, Stefan too, but he had gone to his room to give them some privacy after Elena managed to apologize to him in the woods on the walk back. There was a lot they still needed to work through, but it was a start. At least he had finally accepted that she was going to be with his brother.

When Elena walked back inside, Damon was waiting for her in the foyer. She didn't know what to say, so she just let out a breath and gave him a sad smile. He smirked a little in return before closing the distance between them and gently placing a hand on each of her cheeks. She loosely gripped his wrists as his thumbs rubbed the smeared makeup beneath her eyes.

"How are you feeling, warrior princess?" He asked softly.

"Like shit." She answered honestly, making him laugh.

He nodded towards the stairs, "How about you take a nice hot bath and relax before shit really hits the fan."

She smiled despite herself and loved him just a little bit more for making her do so. Then she brokenly asked, "You don't hate me?"

His heart ached knowing that she had to doubt his love for her, but he knew that going into this. He let out a breath and pressed his forehead against hers, "No, baby, I love you."

And with those five short words, her entire world seemed to come together again. She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him desperately, snaking her arms around his neck and holding him so tightly that he'd never be able to leave. He moved his arms around her waist as she opened her mouth to him, and he moaned at the contact alone.

He hadn't kissed her since they were on Silas's island, and he hadn't prepared himself for just how good it was going to feel to have her in his arms again. The real her too, not the woman he had sex with in New York.

When they separated a few long moments later, Elena buried her face in his neck and allowed herself to fall apart.

And Damon let her.

She cried words of love and regret over and over until his words of assurance were practically rehearsed on his tongue.

Eventually he picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs, sitting her down on the bathroom counter as he drew her a bath. While the tub filled with water and the bubbles expanded, Damon moved between Elena's legs as she attempted to wipe away her raccoon eyes. He smiled at the sight and gently grabbed her hands, moving them away, "Trust me, your hands are only going to make it worse."

She pouted adorably and he grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist. She huffed, "I must look like a mess."

"A beautiful mess." He teased. "But it's good to have you back, Elena."

She took a deep breath before admitting, "Aside from all of the horrible things I feel right now, I really missed being in love with you."

He gave her one of those smiles that could light up a room, and she melted into him as kissed her softly. Nothing could ever compare to the feeling of kissing him. She took it for granted before, but now that she knew what it was like to not have him in her life, she promised herself she would never go back there.

She needed Damon like she needed air, or blood, or whatever. Living without him wasn't living at all, and so long as she was alive she would be by his side.

Brushing his hair behind his ear, she smiled, "I know we have a lot to talk about, but I just want to let you know that I'm in this. Us. With you, forever. I can't live without you, Damon, even when I don't have my humanity, and I never want to have to wonder again."

Cupping her face in his hands, Damon said, "Elena, I promise you, you will never doubt my love for you again. I know what I did was fucked up, and I can't apologize enough for everything. For having Caroline say you were like Katherine to me, for telling you that you meant nothing—"

"For having sex with another girl." Elena practically whispered, dropping her gaze and pulling away from his hands.

For a split second, Damon had no idea what she was talking about, because he never did sleep with someone else. Then when it hit him, he pulled her chin up to meet her teary eyes, "I never slept with that girl, baby. But I needed you to believe it to get you back."

"You didn't?" She asked softly, her voice filled with hope—the most vulnerable she'd been in months.

"Of course not." He sighed. "You are the only woman I will ever need, Elena. On any level. Even if you decide that you never want to have sex again for some insane reason, I'd still need you."

She giggled softly, "Lucky for you, I haven't gone insane quite yet."

He grinned and gave her a quick kiss before moving to turn off the water before the tub overflowed. He then motioned to her bath and smirked, "A bath awaits, Miss Elena."

She grinned widely and hopped down from the counter, "Is that how you talked back in 1864?"

He rolled his eyes and smiled, "Shut up and get in the tub before I throw you in it."

She sent him a playful glare before peeling her clothes off and sending Damon a wink when she caught him eying her body. His only response was to flash her a shit-eating grin as she stepped into the hot water and sunk her body beneath the white bubbles covering the surface.

She sighed contentedly as she was actually able to enjoy a bath, because again, she had to feel to enjoy something. She cracked open an eye to look at Damon and asked, "Are you gonna make me wash myself or do I get to boss around my servant like I'm the daughter of a wealthy landowner back in 1864?"

He chuckled, pulling up a stool next to the tub to sit next to her, "So now I'm your servant? To think I thought I got upgraded to boyfriend…"

She grinned, "Oh, stop complaining. You get to see me naked—you have nothing to complain about."

Damon laughed, reaching for the soap. Neither of them had realized just how much they had missed about the other until they were back to the witty banter that always seemed to come naturally to them. Elena had missed the way he could always make her laugh, and the way that he was always ready to throw back another sarcastic comment that would make her roll her eyes.

Her bath was filled with lots of easy conversation and playful teasing, neither of them wanting to delve into the conversation they had to have. They had just gotten each other back; they weren't ready to give it up quite yet.

After a few more stolen kisses between laughs, Elena pulled the drain while Damon wrapped her up in a towel to dry her off. She molded against him, her cheek lying against his shoulder as he dried her off. If there was one thing she knew without a doubt that she'd never question again, it was his love. Just the way he tenderly rubbed her skin while holding her in his arms and pressing kisses to the top of her head…it was enough to make her wonder how she'd ever survive without him.

After dressing her in one of his t-shirts, Damon carried her to bed and stripped all of his own clothes off before climbing in next to her. She secretly loved that he always slept naked, even if she rolled her eyes at him for it.

When they were both lying on their sides facing each other in the dark room, Elena reached out to stroke his cheek and asked, "So are we good?"

Damon automatically nodded, "Of course, Elena." He snaked an arm around her waist and lifted her easily to pull her flush against his chest, "I love you. That hasn't changed in these past few months. I know that a lot happened, and I have no doubt in my mind that we'll eventually start fighting about it all, but if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me anyways."

She smiled a little, "We always did argue a lot. Though once we got together, it kind of stopped while we were in the honeymoon phase."

He nodded, smiling, "And now that we're past that, we can get to the real stuff."

"Like what?" She asked suspiciously.

He rolled his eyes a little, "Our future. And you know what the first thing I'm going to do is?"

"What's that?"

"Take you on our first date."

* * *

When the doorbell rang, Elena bolted for the door, getting flashbacks of when she was sixteen and hadn't wanted her parents to answer the door for her date. Back then, Matt had been standing behind it and she'd been excited for that.

She couldn't believe how much she had changed.

Jeremy and Bonnie were upstairs in his room, because Bonnie had been over to help her get ready for her date before hanging out with Jeremy. Normally that would have been Caroline's forte, but she was busy with Tyler who had recently decided he was going to do a lot of traveling to help other wolves with the transition. He was back in town for a few days, and Elena wanted her friend to be happy.

After all, she was beaming.

She swung open the front door and all of the breath that had been in her lungs flew out at the sight of Damon in a tux with a bowtie. Damn, he cleaned up well.

"Hi." She breathed, her cheeks burning from how stupid she sounded though to Damon it was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen.

He grinned, "God, you look amazing, Elena."

She glanced down at her floor length dress that was draped across her body so perfectly she was sure it had been tailored for her. The blood red fabric hung off of her shoulders, leaving them bare along with her neck. Her hair was swept up into a low bun at the nape of her neck, and she was wearing simple diamond studs so not to offset the focus from the dress.

She blushed, "It's nothing, Damon, really…"

Lies. She had scoured neighboring towns with Bonnie for days until finally she found it in a boutique an hour away. But she wasn't about to let him know just how much effort she had put into getting ready for their date.

Their _first_ date.

Little did she know that he had put just as much effort, if not more, into planning the date. This was going to be both his and Elena's last first date _ever_ , and it was going to set the tone for their entire future together. Of course it had to be perfect.

He shot her that panty-dropping smirk of his and said, "Bullshit, but I'll let it slide because I know you're nervous."

Her eyes widened and her perfect red lips parted, "I'm not nervous!"

If only her voice hadn't risen an octave too high, then he might have just believed her. Chuckling, he held out his hand and said, "Then come prove it to me in the limo."

"A limo?" She gaped, just now noticing over his shoulder that there was a sleek black stretch limo waiting.

He raised a brow, "You didn't think we were going to take the Camaro dressed like this, did you?"

She blew out a laugh before grabbing her purse and slipping her hand into his, "I guess I should have known better. You're really pulling out all the stops tonight, aren't you?"

"Because you're worth it." He said simply, helping her inside the limo when the driver opened the door.

After tipping the man and getting in himself, he slid beside Elena and she pulled him in for a quick kiss, no words needed to know that she was thanking him for making it perfect. He interlaced their fingers, noticing that her nails were painted the same red as her dress, and he had to take a moment to truly appreciate the sight of his girl dressed in the color. Though he was sure having her naked and covered in actual blood would be a much more erotic sight.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going?" She asked, trying to be casual but he saw right through her. She hated surprises, and he knew it.

"First we're going to dinner." He told her vaguely.

She raised a brow, "It's three o'clock…"

"And by the time we get there, it'll be time to eat." He returned, smirking knowingly. "Now, what would you like to do while we wait?"

Instead of questioning him further, she decided to save her breath. If he didn't want to tell her, he wasn't going to. "I don't know, I've never been in a limo before. What is there to do in here?"

As she looked around, she spotted a TV, a mini-fridge, some snacks, a bottle of champagne on ice, and a remote to what she assumed was the TV, or maybe a sound system.

Damon's hand was stroking her knee through the dress, and he leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "That all depends on just how horny I can get you, kitten."

Her breath hitched just the way he wanted it to, and she breathily asked, "Isn't that part supposed to come after the date?"

He smirked, "I think we're way past proper date rules, wouldn't you agree?" His hand slowly slid further and further up her thigh, nearing the throbbing space between her legs.

Suddenly nothing else seemed to matter besides getting Damon naked and having her way with him. She swung her leg over his lap and hiked up her dress while she connected their mouths, "Mess up my hair and you're dead, Salvatore."

He chuckled and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, holding her against him while they devoured each other. She ground her hot center against his straining erection, and he growled in response.

"Damon…" She said through a breathy moan.

Placing his hands on her thighs, he slowly rubbed her bare skin since her dress was bunched up around her hips. He made his way upwards until he could hook his fingers in the waistband of her panties, and he peeled them off without complaint. Seeing that they were a thong and black, he tucked them into his pocket before positioning her on his lap.

She sucked in a ragged breath as his finger slipped inside of her, and then he added another. Her eyes fluttered shut and she dropped her head against his shoulder as he repeatedly stroked her.

He nibbled on her ear and murmured, "That's it, baby…"

Elena's chest was heaving as her body struggled to hold onto that last thread of control, and when he applied just the right amount of pressure, she fell apart.

She had never had sex with anyone other than Damon in all of the time that her humanity was off, but that didn't mean she didn't have any orgasms. A few men here and there had touched her through her clothes, but for the most part, she had to give them to herself if she wanted one. Her subconscious just wouldn't permit her to let go of Damon…

When she came back to earth, she leaned in to kiss Damon and murmured against his lips, "I love you, baby."

His answering kiss was all the reassurance she needed. After freeing him from his pants, Elena positioned herself above him and sank down in one slow motion, their foreheads dropping together along the way.

She started bouncing up and down, the bumps of the road beneath them as they made their way towards their destination only making it easier to hit those powerful strokes. Damon pulled the top of her dress down to reveal her breasts, and he ripped the strapless bra from her body so he could latch onto a nipple.

Cherries and vanilla.

He didn't know how she did it, but if he could only taste one thing for the rest of his life it would be that.

Elena ran her hands through his hair, fisting it and pulling it as he drove her closer and closer to the edge. He flicked his tongue around the cold metal barbell pierced through her nipple, once again thanking whatever thought process her humanity-free brain had. Not only were they one of the biggest turn-on's Damon had ever seen on his innocent girl, but they made Elena's nipples even more sensitive. Before either of them knew it they were hurtling off the precipice, tethered to this earth only by the other's soul.

Eventually, they wound up lying completely naked on top of each other, having tried their best to hang up their clothes so they still looked presentable when they arrived. The driver notified them that they were ten minutes from the restaurant, so they began redressing.

As she reached for her dress, she mused, "I still can't believe I pierced my nipples and tattooed your name on my body."

"In a heart." He smirked, earning a playful glare. "But seriously, it's sexy, Elena. To see my name permanently written on your body? It doesn't get much better than that."

"No surprise there." She teased him while hooking her bra on. Though she couldn't seem to find her panties… "But what about my nipples, should I just take them out?"

"Hell no!" Damon immediately argued, and Elena laughed. "Do you have any idea what seeing you, a doe eyed girl who does no wrong, with pierced nipples does to me? It's like you waving your sexuality in my face, and I'll be damned if I let the minx in you disappear."

She rolled her eyes a little then slipped on her dress, deciding to leave the conversation at that. If Damon liked the piercings, then she'd leave them. After all, they were only for him.

Elena's dress made it through Damon's eager hands unscathed, and she smoothed out the wrinkles in the soft fabric. Damon's pants were slightly wrinkled in the front, but it wasn't too noticeable, and the crisp white shirt was only missing one button that thankfully got tucked into his pants anyways. He tied the bowtie back on as Elena began fixing her hair and makeup, artfully rearranging it all while Damon watched her unapologetically.

"So are you going to tell me where my panties are?"

He smirked, "What do you think?"

She playfully rolled her eyes and when she finished fixing her makeup, she snapped the mirror closed and reached out to smooth down some stray locks of Damon's unruly hair. He smiled at the gesture, grabbing her hand and kissing her palm while her answering smile was one of pure adoration. Then she wiped her lipstick off of his mouth, because that was probably the most obvious way to tell that they had been up to no good.

Just as Elena strapped on her strappy silver heels, the limo stopped and the driver walked around to open the door for them.

"Where are we?" Elena asked when she finally got a good look at the city around her.

"Downtown Richmond." Damon answered easily, lacing their fingers together. "It's no New York, but it'll do in a pinch."

She smiled, "It's perfect."

"Wait 'til you see the restaurant." He said teasingly, doing that eye thing as he led her to the door of the building they were in front of.

If there was ever a picture that could define the word elegance, it was this place. It had some fancy name she couldn't even pronounce, and she was sure the crystal chandeliers hanging above each table were worth more than her entire house.

Dinner was…shockingly normal. They didn't talk about anything supernatural, or anything that would even indicate that something was amiss in their lives. They truly just sat down and really got to know the basic things about each other that seemed to have flown by under the radar.

Like Damon's favorite color. It's blue. And his birthday is June 18th, exactly four days away from her birthday on the 22nd. He prefers TV shows to movies, and absolutely loathes seafood. His favorite vegetable is asparagus, to which she shared that her favorite is brussel sprouts. His favorite season is winter, and black roses are his favorite flower because his mother used to breed them. He would pick silver over gold any day, because he was allergic to real gold when he was human and just never liked the color as much.

It was surreal for Elena to hear him speaking so openly about himself in such a normal setting. It was almost as if they had just met, and really were on a first date just trying to get to know each other.

And she found that she liked it.

Listening to what makes the man she loves tick was fascinating, because nobody knew everything about Damon. Nobody could say they knew him as well as she did—not after tonight. Not even Stefan.

"I love you." She blurted out abruptly, interrupting him mid-sentence in a description of why he hated chocolate cake but loved brownies.

He furrowed his brows slightly, laughing a little, "I love you too…"

She blushed, realizing how rude she had been, "Sorry for interrupting—I really do want to hear all about why chocolate cake is awful, but that's why I needed to say that. To thank you for this. For tonight. For bringing me out here and treating me to the most expensive meal of my life and telling all of the little things about you that nobody else knows. It means more to me than I think you realize, and I love you, so much, Damon, for doing this and making me feel normal, and trusting me with the information that you hate it when people repeatedly click a pen."

They both laughed softly and Damon smiled sincerely, "You're it for me, Elena. You're my happiness, my future, and my life. There are no lengths that I wouldn't go to, to make sure you know how much you mean to me. We're never going to have a normal life, and I've had a lot of time to accept that, but it will be our life, and I'll do my best to make sure it's as normal as it should be for any other eighteen year old."

"You're the best." She whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

He smiled in return then continued, "And that actually brings us to the next event of the night."

Having already paid for dinner and their dessert plate cleaned spotless, Damon stood up and gave her a hand, leading her out of the restaurant and back to the limo. He kept her in the dark of his plans for the entire limo ride back to Mystic Falls, but it wasn't too hard to distract her. She had a full belly and a dopey smile on her face as she curled up into his side and they watched a movie.

By the time they got back to town, it was just past seven and they were a few minutes from their destination.

Damon started, "So remember how I told you I wanted to give you the most normal life possible?"

She nodded suspiciously, "Yeah…"

He opened the mini-fridge and pulled out a plastic container with a corsage and boutineer that had red ribbons to match her dress. He flashed her a smirk, "I figured taking you to prom was part of that."

Realization dawned on her and she gasped, "Oh my god, tonight's prom!"

He chuckled as he slipped the corsage on her wrist, "It is, baby. Everyone was in on it. I had Bonnie help you pick out a dress that would work for prom and dinner, and I had Caroline organize getting us inside without a hassle."

"So that's why Bonnie bought a dress of her own…" Elena mused as everything started making sense. Damon handed her the boutineer and she put it on him, just about ready to cry from how thoughtful he was. She couldn't believe she had completely forgotten about the night that she, Caroline, and Bonnie had been looking forward to since they were freshman. She wondered just how big her heart could fill with love for the man next to her before it busted out of her ribcage.

Damon smiled and nodded his head towards the opened door the driver was standing next to, "Come on."

She gave him her hand and they stepped out into the warm night in late May and he once again tipped the driver before leading her towards the entrance. The theme was 'A Walk Down Memory Lane' and it was being held in a fancy outdoor/indoor reception hall. You had to walk through a paved path in the woods for a little bit before reaching the party.

Electronic screens were set up along each side of the path, lining the entire way. Each one had different photos flashing through them, detailing all four years of high school. Before they could even start the walk, Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt, and his date April, all appeared around them so they could experience the whole thing together.

This time, Elena couldn't stop the tears from falling, because she truly didn't deserve any of it. She had been so horrible to them all while she had her switch flipped. It was a miracle they had been so quick to forgive her when she didn't deserve it.

The walk was composed of many tear filled hugs, thick laughs, and bittersweet emotions as they all realized that this was the last time they'd ever be together like this again. Their senior year was almost over, and after the summer they'd all be going their separate ways for the next chapter of their lives. Of course, the three girls were all going to Whitmore where they'd be roommates, but Tyler was heading back out to help a pack as soon as prom was over. Matt was staying behind in Mystic Falls to train with Caroline's mom to be a police officer. Jeremy still had another year or two of high school, depending on how many classes he failed this year.

And Damon of course would go wherever Elena asked him to.

The only person she didn't see was Stefan, but she supposed that a high school prom when he didn't have a date wasn't the most enjoyable thing for him, so she didn't comment on the fact.

Instead, she focused on everything and everyone else. The girls cooed and shed more tears when a picture of the three of them dressed in cheer uniforms from freshman year appeared, and Caroline complained about how terrible her hair looked back then. Bonnie then pointed out that she at least had manageable hair, unlike her own wild curls that were sticking up all over the place.

Then a photo of Elena and Matt surfaced right after they had started dating. They were just smiling for the camera with their arms around each other, and they laughed at the memory. It seemed so strange to ever think she had dated him now.

Even a photo of Elena and Stefan together appeared, and she smiled sadly at the memory. She missed having him as a friend, and the sad look didn't go unnoticed by Damon.

All the pictures really had Damon thinking about her past and how he knew almost everything about it. Yet when the roles were reversed, she knew very little about the extensive past he'd had. He's very sparingly given her details because he knew that she wouldn't like what she heard more often than not.

Or at least of the vampire side to him.

The human side was a part that was almost too vulnerable to show her. He wasn't that man anymore, and a part of him feared that if she saw who he had been she'd think that he was better than the vampire. Hell, he was better. Damon knew that. And that's why he didn't want her to fall for the human only to be disappointed in the vampire.

It sounded ridiculous when he really thought about it. She never knew the human, and showing her everything he held onto from that time of his life wasn't going to make her know him. It might just give her a little more insight into the man he was now. The human wasn't completely gone from him, but it may as well have been. It seemed that Elena always tended to bring out that side of him, and maybe that was a good thing. She knew what the human part of his vampire was like, and he wasn't afraid of showing her that much.

But to share with her a time when he knew nothing of the supernatural, when he was just your average everyday guy that had never been damaged by a broken heart…that was what he scared of. He trusted her, of course, with everything he shared. But he really didn't want the attention and fawning she would no doubt do of giving her a piece of him that no one else knew aside from his brother.

Besides, the memories that his human life brought up were just too painful. Not really something he was eager to go over.

But for Elena…he just might share it all with his soulmate.

* * *

Obviously there is a part two to this cheese-filled chapter, I should have it posted sometime tomorrow!

Thank you for reading and all of the reviews!


	25. Chapter 25

Lots of cuteness in this one :)

* * *

When the group finally made it through all of the pictures, they came to a pavilion with hundreds of twinkling lights strung through the rafters and miles of crystal beads hanging from the trees and posts. Tables were set up with clean white tablecloths and stunning centerpieces composed of champagne colored roses and white dahlias. Then there was the large dance floor in the center and a DJ playing music.

It was gorgeous, and Elena made sure to tell Caroline that her hard work didn't go unnoticed.

They stepped beneath the silver beaded curtains hanging over the entrance and into the party where their senior class was already living it up on the dance floor. Before Elena could ask Damon to dance, he insisted on giving her the full experience and convinced her to have their picture taken first before their outfits fell victim to even more groping and subsequent wrinkles.

She easily agreed. She wanted to remember this night for the rest of her life, and as they did the typical prom pose of Elena standing in front of Damon with his arms around her waist, she knew that she didn't need a picture to do so. Not to say she didn't want one, though.

On the contrary, actually. She demanded they take what felt like dozens of photos, and she even had to compel the photographer to take more when he started arguing that they were to their limit. They took ones hugging, kissing, laughing, smiling, and even sticking their tongues out and making funny faces. There was one of Damon pretending to bite her neck while she made a fake terrified expression, and then she pretended to bite his neck while he did the same. Damon had picked her up in his arms bridal style for yet another picture, and finally when her classmates started complaining about them taking forever, they finished it off with one of Damon kissing her forehead.

She had never been so happy in her life, and they hadn't even gotten to the dancing yet.

With a promise that their barrage of photos would arrive in the mail, Damon then whisked Elena onto the dance floor to make good on his promise of a normal night and dance with her like any other date would do.

Slow songs, fast songs—it didn't matter the tempo, because Damon was well versed in them all as well as modern day dancing to go along with them. Though, that wasn't really news to Elena. She recalled one of the decade dances she had gone to with Stefan when they had watched in horror as Damon dirty danced with a high school girl. Ass grabbing and everything, and now was no different.

Except this time, she loved it because he was doing it to her.

Even as they slow danced, his hand that was supposed to be on her waist wasn't even trying to hide the fact that it was on her ass, and he gave her a squeeze as if she needed reminding of the fact.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about my panties that mysteriously disappeared." She warned teasingly, actually loving that she got to tease him by going commando all night.

He pasted on a innocent look, "I told you, they must have gotten stuck between the seat in the limo."

"Then why are you smirking?" She countered, lifting a hand from his shoulder to trace the corner of his mouth that was fighting against the action. He stayed silent on the matter, and she narrowed her eyes, "If I reach into your pocket, am I going to find them?"

He wiggled his brows, "You'll find something alright, but it's not gonna be some flimsy scrap of fabric…" He leaned in as they swayed to the music and whispered in her ear, "It'll be much harder, and bigger…"

"Disgusting…" She sing-songed, pressing her lips against his neck as they settled as close to each other as humanly—or vampire-ly—possible.

"You're the one that's in love with me." He returned in the same chipper tone.

She rolled her eyes and smiled against his shoulder, "Yes I am…"

She felt him kiss her temple before resting his lips there, and they were curved into a smile.

A few songs later, Damon felt his phone ringing and excused himself to take the call while waving over Matt to dance with Elena. Of course he left him with a half hearted threat about cutting his hands off if he got any bright ideas, for which Elena slapped his chest.

She took the rare window of having Matt alone to apologize for anything she did basically over the past two years of her life that hurt him. And just like everyone else, he forgave her and told her that all that mattered was that she was happy.

And it was clear to every single person there that Elena was ecstatic. She was practically glowing, radiating an emotion that only seemed to be fleeting ever since her parents died.

But then again, she didn't know what true happiness felt like until she fell in love with Damon. Until she was loved by Damon. Until she kissed him, and made love with him, and shared her life with him.

He was her everything, and he probably always would be. He was her life, her soul, her smile, her heart, and her family. Without Damon Salvatore, there was no Elena Gilbert like they all knew her, and the same went for Damon.

They were the perfect compliment to each other. While Damon was reckless and unpredictable, Elena needed that danger in her life to keep her on her toes. She was clearly more levelheaded than her boyfriend, which meant that when he wanted to lash out, she could calm him down and talk him out of it.

The words Damon had promised her that first time they met were ringing through her mind on repeat these days, because he made good on them. Maybe at the time he hadn't known just what he was getting himself into, but that passion, adventure, and danger in her life was all from him. His love consumed her, and in turn, she consumed him.

"Mind if I cut in?" Elena turned around at the familiar voice, though she hadn't been expecting that one to want to have a dance. Or even be here.

"Stefan…" She said in surprise before smiling softly at the sight of him dressed in a suit. Matt easily nodded and handed her over, and she settled into his arms the same way she always had. But now the butterflies in her stomach stayed silent and still, and no fluttery feelings plagued her heart in the slightest.

He smiled back at her, "Damon texted me. Said if I really wanted to make your night then I'd come to prom."

"He did?" She asked in awe of the man she got to call her boyfriend.

He laughed slightly, "Well, I gave you the PG and nice version of what he said."

"Of course he was vulgar." She laughed, still reeling from how thoughtful he was proving to be. She briefly glanced around for him, and spotted him off to the side with a flask. He shot her a wink and she smiled brilliantly in return before refocusing her attention on Stefan.

Now was as good a time as any to apologize, she supposed, and that's just what she did.

"Stefan, I'm so sorry about everything that happened between us. You know that I never want to hurt you…but with everything that happened and my transition and Jeremy's curse…I guess we just never had the chance to talk about things like we should have."

He nodded thoughtfully, "I know, Elena. I'm sorry too. The whole thing with Rebekah was a dirty move, and you didn't deserve it. I was just too far up my own ass to consider how you had to have been feeling about the situation. All I could think about was how much it sucked for me. I never considered that you were hurting over it too."

She shrugged a little, "That was partly my fault. I kind of jumped into Damon before even giving you the chance to see that I wasn't playing some sort of game or switching brothers for the fun of it."

There was a pause between them before Stefan said, "Over these past few months while you've been pretty much absent, it gave me a lot of time to think. To accept that we were over. I will always love you, Elena, because you were the epic love of my life. But I can see now that I'm not that person to you, and that's okay. I can see how much you love my brother, and I'm happy for you two. God knows he needs somebody to love him for all of the right reasons. Ever since he met you, he's been a different person, and it's like I'm finally getting my brother back. So as much as it hurt to lose you, I've accepted that it was for the better, because you gave me my brother back."

Elena wiped away a tear as it slid down her face, and she pulled him into a hug in the middle of the dance floor, "Thank you, Stefan."

"No problem." He smiled softly before pulling away. "Now, you better go make sure your date doesn't get caught with that flask, because Mrs. Reynolds was already whispering to the principal about him."

She laughed and looked over her shoulder just in time to see her biology teacher stalking up to Damon who not so subtly tucked the flask in his inside jacket pocket.

After saying goodbye to Stefan, Elena meandered over to her misbehaving date as he compelled the woman to forget she saw him drinking. She walked away and Elena took her place, raising a brow and placing her hands on her hips.

Damon rolled his eyes and grabbed one of her wrists, tugging her into his arms and hugging her to his chest. She giggled and was about to chastise him for bring alcohol to prom, when Caroline's voice suddenly drifted through the speakers as she announced prom king and queen.

Matt and Bonnie won, and Elena was thrilled for her two friends. They shared a dance that was clearly just between friends. When faster music came on, Elena looked up at Damon and asked, "Who was that on the phone earlier?"

"An old friend with some news." He said vaguely. "Good or bad, depending on how you feel about it." She furrowed her brows and he looked around the room to make sure nobody was listening before saying, "Katherine's dead."

"What!?" She yelped, clapping a hand over her mouth when she realized just how loud she had been. When everyone looked away from her outburst, she hissed quietly, "What do you mean she's dead!?"

He blew out a breath, "Just that. It's kind of a long story, but I'll give you the gist. I called her in thinking she'd be able to get your humanity back, and in return I promised her Silas's talisman."

"But it's helping Bonnie with her powers…"

"I know. I never planned on giving her the real one. So I talked to Witchy and she agreed to make an exact replica that Katherine wouldn't be able to tell the difference from. As soon as your humanity was back, we gave it to her and she ran for New Orleans to give it to Klaus. He found out it was a fake, and boom goes the dynamite, he finally killed her."

Elena sighed, "Wow…she's really dead…I know I hated her and all, but I never wanted anyone dead. Well, except maybe Klaus."

Damon shrugged, "Look at it like this. Now we don't have to worry about her ever again. We have officially rid ourselves of any and all impending danger, and just in time for high school graduation."

"Did you graduate high school?" She asked suddenly.

He chuckled, "It wasn't really high school back then. More like I had a hot governess that made it very difficult to focus on anything other than her corset."

"Girlfriend, right here."

"If it makes you feel any better she's probably a dusty pile of bones now."

"Great, now I have the visual of a teenage you flirting with a skeleton in a petticoat."

He squeezed her sides to make her giggle, and she recoiled in laughter as she batted his hands away.

"You know, this has been one hell of a first date." She said wistfully when he stopped tickling her and gathered her in his arms again.

"Well, as your last first date ever, I wanted to make it special."

"My last first date ever…" She repeated slowly. "I like the sound of that."

"I'd certainly hope so." He grinned before playfully nipping her ear.

She turned in his arms and leaned her back against his front so they could watch everything going on in front of them. Then she tilted her head up to ask him, "So is this the end of our last first date?"

"No, that doesn't end until I strip you naked and ravish your body until you pass out." He said nonchalantly, making her laugh.

"You're making it really hard to want to be here still…" She warned.

"So let's leave." She hesitated, and he pouted, "Come on, they've already announced king and queen, you've danced with not one, but two exes, and you laughed and cried with your friends all within the first ten minutes. What else is there to do?"

"Take more pictures?" She joked.

He chuckled, "At the risk of the photographer breaking my compulsion to yell at us some more, I think I'm gonna have to say no. We already did every pose on the face of the earth."

She sighed dramatically, "I suppose that means we can go now…but not before one last dance."

"I think I can manage that." He smiled gently as he pulled her back onto the floor. She gravitated right into his arms and pressed her body flush against his, making sure every girl there knew that he was hers. She was a vampire now, meaning that all of the whispers girls thought they were keeping secret weren't so secret. She had the hottest guy there tonight, and they all knew it.

A slow love song started playing and Elena wrapped both of her arms around his neck, keeping him close by the crook of her elbow. Damon had both arms wrapped around her waist, this time at an appropriate spot for being in public. With their foreheads touching and noses so close that they brushed every time they swayed to the beat, Elena closed her eyes.

If things could only get better from here, she would be one lucky girl.

* * *

"Look at you all scholarly in your cap and gown." Damon smirked, inviting himself into Elena's bedroom and flopping down on her bed.

She smiled at him through the mirror, "I'm not scholarly, I'm graduating high school you freak."

Damon snorted, "Back in my day, only nerds graduated high school."

"You graduated high school." She pointed out.

"Technically, I never went to high school." He grinned smugly. "Remember the hot governess?"

"Oh, shut up!" She grabbed a pillow from her window seat and threw it at him, pouting slightly when he caught it with ease.

He tossed back into its place then said, "Oh, by the way, before we go Bonnie wants to see us. All of us, actually. Something about a graduation gift. She's downstairs with Jeremy, Caroline, and everyone else."

"I didn't get her anything…" Elena said nervously. "Was I supposed to? I mean, Caroline didn't mention it, so—"

"Hey, I'm sure it's fine." Damon eased her mind. "If she wanted a gift, she would have said something."

Elena rolled her eyes a little at his logic but was already heading towards the stairs. Just like Damon had said, she found everyone gathered in her living room, Tyler and Matt included. She and Damon sat down to wait for whatever Bonnie had for them.

She started, "Okay, so with my expression, I've been researching more spells from the grimoires that Luka and Jonas had that I never thought possible with my limited magic. For the most part, they've all been useless to us or things I already know. Until I came across a spell of temporary resurrection."

"Resurrection!?" Caroline shouted. "Wait, you mean like zombies!?"

Bonnie laughed, "No, not zombies! Okay, let me start by explaining what happens when someone dies. If they're human, they can either find peace or damnation, but either way, they're stuck wherever they go. But when we're talking about the supernatural, the lines blur. This kind of relates to how Shane claimed Silas could bring people back from the dead. There's a veil that separates our world from the spirit world, and it traps supernatural creatures from finding peace unless they're truly ready to let go of the human world. They get to walk around our world and see and hear everything we see and hear, but nobody can sense their presence and they can't interact with any of us."

"So what does this spell do?" Jeremy asked suspiciously, probably feeling nervous about his girlfriend wanting to cast a big spell.

She smiled excitedly, "It can drop the veil for about five hours. With my power, I can limit who can come through and who can't, but basically, anyone we know that died as a supernatural and hasn't found peace yet can come through and interact with us."

"You mean like Ric and Jenna?" Elena asked in shock.

Bonnie nodded, "Exactly. Jenna, Alaric, Vicki, my grams, Caroline's dad…" She looked between Stefan and Damon, "And even anyone that you two know and might want to see again, as long as they died as a supernatural. But that's assuming everyone I just mentioned hasn't moved on to find peace. We won't know until I cast the spell."

"Well what are you waiting for!?" Caroline screeched excitedly.

"First, I need to know who is allowed through and who isn't." Looking pointedly at the Salvatore's, she said, "Somehow, I doubt we want to let the enemies we've killed through."

"That's a very subjective statement." Damon spoke up. "Like, I killed Tyler's uncle, and I'm sure the kid wants to see him but what if he kills me while he's here for revenge?"

"You'll get what's coming to you?" Tyler offered, earning a withering glare from the vampire.

Bonnie said, "Then it's a good thing you don't have a say in who visits him."

Elena smiled at Damon's frustration, "Oh come on, I'll protect you from the big bad dead werewolf."

"And get bitten then die? I don't think so!"

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything okay!?" Tyler relented.

Shortly after, everyone told Bonnie who they wanted to see again and before any of them knew it she was casting the spell. When she finished, they all looked around at each other as if expecting their loved ones to just appear out of thin air, but they didn't.

"So where are they?" Jeremy asked.

"They'll all appear periodically as they make their way to us. Once they get there, they can stay for a few hours, and then the veil closes for them and they have to go back." She answered, standing up. "Now, who's ready to graduate?"

After everyone arrived at the high school, they began making their way towards the football field where a stage was set up with hundreds of chairs set out in front. Elena felt jumpy knowing that any dead person she knew could appear at any moment. And then there was the fear that nobody she knew would appear, because they had found peace.

Damon put his hands on her shoulders to still her pacing and said, "Hey, just relax, okay? They'll show up."

"But what if they've found peace? What if I don't get to see Jenna or Ric ever again?"

Damon sighed, "Look me in the eye and tell me you think that Ric found peace after having his mind brainwashed into hating vampires."

She dropped her forehead to his shoulder, "I just already got my hopes up, and I don't want to be disappointed…"

"I know…" He agreed, resting his chin on top of her head.

She swallowed thickly before pulling back and asking, "Do you think Rose found peace?"

Damon smiled sadly, "I don't know, but I figured it was worth a shot to ask Witchy."

"Do you think Ric's been watching us over the past eight months or so?"

"And miss out on the chance to see you all defeat Klaus? Not even death could stand in my way." They both whipped around only to come face to face with Alaric himself, smiling at them knowingly. Elena instantly left Damon's arms to wrap her own around Ric, and he laughed as he hugged her back, "I missed you too, kid."

He looked up at Damon's shocked expression over her shoulder and saw that there was a smile playing at his lips. Ric winked at him, motioning to Elena, and Damon shook his head with a silent laugh.

He knew he got the girl, and he was happy for him.

Elena finally pulled away and gushed, "Oh my god, Ric, it's really you! What have you been doing? I mean, are you okay?"

He chuckled at her rambling, "Yeah, I'm okay. The other side isn't that bad. I've just been waiting around for my chance at saying goodbye while watching you guys live your lives."

"What about everyone else? Are they coming?" Elena rushed out, still not having let go of him.

He looked at her sadly, "Not everyone. I heard Bonnie casting the spell, and then I just got this feeling like…like I knew that this was my chance."

"So who's not coming back?" Elena asked timidly, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Ric gave her a sad smile, "Jenna, for one. She found peace a long time ago, shortly after she died. Bill Forbes isn't coming back either since when he died, he was already at peace with his decision."

"Caroline will be devastated…" Elena said in disappointment.

Ric nodded, "She's still got her mom. She's a strong girl that fortunately hasn't experienced as much loss as others."

"Anyone else?" Damon asked hopefully.

Alaric smirked a little, "Don't worry buddy, we should have our third drinking buddy that was team Damon and Elena joining us soon."

"Dick." Damon chided through a smile.

Elena giggled then finally stepped back from him to mold back into Damon's side. Yeah, she was disappointed that Jenna wasn't coming, but at least Alaric did. And if Jenna was at peace, then she didn't want to disturb her anyways after the awful death she had.

"Don't you have to like, graduate or something?" Ric said knowingly at Elena as they heard an announcement for everyone to take their seats.

"Shut the hell up and let's go find our seats." Damon laughed, throwing his arm around Ric's shoulders and leaving Elena to take her own seat with her classmates.

Each student got five tickets to hand out to family members for seats at their graduation, and when they got to Elena's section, they found Jeremy and Rose talking to each other. It was a shock, to say the least, to Damon. Ric already knew she was going to be there.

"Rose?" Damon said in happy surprise.

She looked over at them at the sound of her name and stood up, immediately bringing Damon into a hug, "It's good to see you again, Damon."

"You too." He said sincerely in a rare moment of honesty with anyone other than Elena. They all sat down in their seats and Damon's gaze automatically darted through the crowd to look for anyone else that might have made their way back in time for the ceremony, but it was hard to find anyone out of the ordinary in the crowds. Slinging an arm around the back of Rose's chair, he smirked, "So how's it going, Rosebud?"

She gave him a pointed look, "Much too flirty for finally having the girl you've been in love with for ages."

He rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop himself from smiling like an idiot. Even Jeremy, who looked on curiously as his sister's boyfriend interacted with his two closest friends, had to admit how good Elena was for him.

"I'm happy for you, Damon." She smiled brightly. "I always thought Elena was yours, never Stefan's."

Damon looked at Ric, "And that's why she's my favorite."

"You turned my ex-wife and Elena's birth mother into a vampire. Can you blame me for being a little late to hop on the train?" He argued, earning yet another laugh from Damon.

He didn't care what either of them said, as long as they kept talking. It felt too damn good to finally hear their voices again, and not laced with pain or false hatred for his kind.

"Have I mentioned how much I _didn't_ miss you holding that over me?"

"You were kind of a dick, Damon." Rose chimed in.

"Kind of?" Ric scoffed.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Come on, we're at my girlfriend's graduation! Can't you two think of anything better to do with your limited time here other than insult me?"

"They're not wrong, you know." Jeremy commented with a smirk.

"Who asked you?" Damon snapped, faking his anger. How could he really be angry at a time like this?

Jeremy sent him a sideways glance then shared a look with Rose, "Your future brother in law, if that ring Rose told me about in your closet has anything to say about it."

Damon paled slightly then glared at Rose who just shrugged her shoulders and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Sorry, it slipped."

Jeremy chuckled, "Look man, if you want to marry that dork be my guest. As long as I get to walk her down the aisle."

"Like we'd ever get married without the entire lollipop guild around to see it." Damon complained even though he was smiling.

Ric threw in, "You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

Damon turned to face him, "Of course I have. I mean, you have met Elena, right? What guy wouldn't want to marry that dork?"

Ric laughed, "Good for you, man. Break her heart and I'll haunt you for all of eternity. Which is a long time considering you live forever."

"What are you gonna do, open cabinet doors and make the lights flicker? So scary!" Damon teased, earning a punch to the shoulder.

"Would you two shut it? It's about to start!" Rose scolded as the band started playing music.

They rolled their eyes at each other before shutting up to watch as the ceremony began.


	26. Chapter 26

This is the last official chapter of this story! Of course, I have an epilogue, but it got WAY out of hand. It's currently at 50,000 words! Since it's basically at the length of another story, I will be posting it separate just like my epilogue for Silver Linings. Make sure you keep an eye out for it, it's super cute and mushy :)

Thanks for reading!

* * *

As it turned out, Bonnie's dad was the announcer for the graduation ceremony. He called name after name of people Elena had gone to school with since she was in preschool, only to hand them their diploma on stage before letting them pose for a picture.

He called Bonnie's name first out of the group of them graduating, and he hugged her on stage before she got her picture taken.

Then it was Matt's turn, and they shook hands.

Caroline was next, and she beamed the widest smile at him before pulling him into a hug. Maybe if they hadn't known him since they were in diapers they would have been less enthusiastic.

And then it was Elena's turn, the only ones left after her being Tyler and Stefan.

Bonnie's dad called her name and she stood up from her seat as everyone clapped and cheered, and she even heard a whistle that was no doubt from Damon. She stepped onto the stage in her white cap and gown and smiled at Mr. Hopkins, taking her diploma from him while cameras flashed. He smiled warmly at her and gave her a hug just as he had with Caroline and Bonnie before she turned to face the crowd and have her photo taken.

One sweep across the faces with her new vampire senses allowed her to spot all of the faces of those here thanks to Bonnie's spell. She saw Damon with Alaric, Rose, and Jeremy. Vicki was hanging near the back for Matt. She supposed it was probably a little awkward between her and Jeremy anyways now that he was dating Bonnie. In another section of seating Elena spotted Lexi excitedly waving at her and Mason was sitting next to her. Bonnie's grandmother was sitting in a seat next to her mom, even though the woman couldn't see her.

Almost everyone that mattered to them was there in that moment, and that was the most important thing. They would all get one last goodbye with their loved ones, a goodbye that was stolen from all of them.

Except Elena didn't want to say goodbye, and she knew that this time it would hurt worse than the first.

She returned to her seat and waited patiently as Tyler received his diploma as well as Stefan, even if it was more for appearances than education.

And then when everyone had been called, they switched their tassels to the other side before throwing their caps up into the air as high as they could while blasts of confetti went off and the band started playing once again. There were cheers from everyone all around them, and Elena gathered up her cap before running out into the aisle to join Caroline and Bonnie in their own cheers.

Shortly after, Damon joined them with Rose, Ric, and Jeremy, and Elena made sure to hug every last one of them, though Damon got a little something extra in the form of a long kiss. It still felt surreal to call the beautiful man in front of her both inside and out her boyfriend.

But 'boyfriend' felt like it just couldn't justify their relationship. It wasn't able to describe that they were meant for each other. But then again, she wasn't sure there was any word that could describe their relationship and how deep their connection ran.

"Blood and burgers at our house for anyone who wants to come…" Elena offered, as if anyone was going to say no.

Half an hour later, they were all streaming in and out of the Gilbert house as everyone talked to each other and visited while they still had the chance. Ric was outside cooking burgers, grumbling about not even getting a break when he was dead when Elena argued that no other human there knew how to cook aside from Sheila, who definitely wasn't about to waste her limited time with Bonnie.

So Damon, Rose, Elena, and Jeremy sat outside with him as he cooked, and they all talked about the latest things going on in their lives. Ric may have already known a lot of it, but he wasn't going to complain.

When he was finished with all of the cooking, he dragged Elena inside under the guise of having her help him clean up, but she knew better. So when he dumped the dirty dishes in the sink and motioned for her to come onto the front porch with him, she wasn't surprised.

Elena sat down on the swing with her legs crossed beneath her, and Ric took the seat next to her. "What's up?" She asked curiously.

He smiled a little, "You know exactly why we're out here."

She blew out a laugh, "Damon, right?"

He nodded, "Come on, tell me what the hell happened. I know I was a little crazy towards the end there so I don't remember much, but when did you make that choice?"

"The night you killed me." She said teasingly.

He cringed, "Sorry about—"

He didn't get to finished, because she was already laughing, "Don't you dare apologize! You weren't even you, okay? And besides, me dying did get rid of the evil you."

"Still." He insisted. "I killed my stepdaughter. That's fucked up on some level, it has to be!" She laughed and he pressed, "But come on, tell me what happened. I want to know everything from your point of view, because I've known Damon's practically since we met."

She shrugged, "I don't know, Ric. Damon just sort of…snuck up on me. The night that we thought everyone was going to die forced me to accept what I had always known I felt for him. And since then…everything became real. So real. When I look at him, I don't just see the man I love. I see my entire future with him. I see building a life with him, and unwaveringly loving him forever. I've never seen that with anyone else. And that's how I know that we're supposed to be together. That he was made for me."

Ric smiled, his elbows braced on his knees, "You know he visited me at the cemetery shortly after you returned from killing Silas. He was heartbroken over the devastation killing Shane caused you. But you should have heard him, Elena. He was complaining about everyone grieving their loved ones, rambling about how grief doesn't work because you're always going to miss the person that's gone. But even then he was excited to tell me that you and him were together."

Elena smiled a little to herself before a sad expression crept across her face, "I've been terrible ever since we came back from that island."

Ric shrugged, "Maybe you had an excuse, maybe you didn't. But you're back now, and you've got all the time in the world to make it up to everyone." She nodded and he continued, "But back to Damon. Take care of him, Elena. Make sure you always show him you love him. He needs it more than he leads on."

"I will." She promised, deciding not to comment on the mushy bromance they've got going on. "And as for you, make sure you try to find peace when you go back? Don't keep lingering around and watching us, because your happiness is as important as ours."

He nodded sadly at the thought of going back, "Jenna's actually been trying to convince me to join her ever since she visited me when I first died. She left me the key to move on in the form of a picture of us I keep in my wallet. I hadn't used it yet though because I wasn't happy with how I left things. Now that I've had this, I think I'm going to join her when I get back."

"Tell her I said hi." Elena said thickly, blinking back the tears.

"I will." Ric nodded with an encouraging smile. "Now why don't we get back to the party? I've still got to have a talk with Jeremy that I'm sure he's not going to want to hear about Bonnie."

"Like the conversation I'm sure you had with Damon about me?"

He groaned, "But with Damon it's so easy! All I've gotta say is that I'll haunt him if he fucks up, and he gets it! But Jeremy's still a kid, and that's all kinds of awkward that I don't want to have."

"That's what you get for trying to raise teenagers." She teased, getting to her feet. "Suck it up and be a man, Ric. Talk to him before it's too late."

"Alright, alright! No need to wound my pride any further."

She laughed, "I love you, Ric."

"Love you too, kid." He smiled before kissing the side of her head.

Ric went inside to talk to Jeremy, and Elena headed out back to join Damon and Rose, finding Stefan and Lexi out there as well. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders from where he sat in the chair and kissed his cheek, "Did I miss anything?"

Damon tugged her around to sit in his lap and shook his head, ignoring her question, "Ric is such a sap."

"You listened in!?" She gasped, hitting his chest. "That's so rude you eavesdropper!"

He laughed, capturing her assaulting hands in his own, "Like you wouldn't have told me everything anyways!"

She rolled her eyes but didn't comment, knowing he was right. Maybe she wouldn't have said everything word for word, but she would have made sure he knew how much his best friend loved him.

"You love Ric and you know it. If he wasn't dead, I'd be a little concerned he'd steal you away from me."

"Quiet." He warned, silencing her with a loving kiss.

The rest of the party went by in a blur of trying to make up as much lost time as possible before they lost the chance. The four of them talked for a little while before Jeremy and Ric joined them again, and Matt, Vicki, Caroline, Tyler, and Mason wandered outside to join as well for a little bit. Ric was really the only one Caroline had to catch up with since she didn't really know anyone else and her dad wasn't able to come back. Bonnie and her grams left not much later so they could go back to Bonnie's house and spend some time alone together.

They sat around and drank, talked, and laughed until they all forgot that their time was going to expire. Damon broke out the most expensive bottle of bourbon he had to share it with Ric and Rose, and refused to share it with anyone else.

The goodbye was no less painful than the first time. Rose was the first to have to go, and she hugged both Damon and Elena before disappearing. Then Vicki left, and she hugged Matt and made him promise not to forget her before giving Jeremy a quick hug and disappearing. Mason was next, and one terrible joke about Damon killing him and a manly hug with Tyler later, he was gone too. Lexi hugged Stefan tightly for a few long moments then gave Elena a wink before she left.

And then there was Ric, and damn, was that goodbye a bitch. Elena bawled her eyes out, and because Elena was sobbing, Caroline was sobbing. And there no consoling them, especially when Jeremy even shed a few tears. Damon held them all back even if he wanted to let go, because someone around here had to be strong. So he clapped Ric on the shoulder before saying screw it and giving him a hug.

Ric had to practically pry Elena off of him so Jeremy could hug him, and then he left too, and they were all alone again.

It was heartbreaking, but worth it.

The group of them hung around the house a little longer until it got dark outside, and they slowly started separating and going to their respective homes. Tyler left to literally leave the state to get back to the pack he was helping. Caroline went home to be with her mom. Matt went home too, as did Stefan, and when Bonnie texted Jeremy to say that she was going to come back over so she didn't have to spend the night alone Elena felt considerably less guilty about wanting to spend the night with Damon in his bed.

And that was exactly where she found herself an hour later. Dressed in Damon's shirt and a pair of panties, sitting in the center of his gigantic bed while he stripped down to his boxers and said, "So I've got my own graduation gift for you."

"You do?" She questioned, not really surprised he got her something.

"Mhm." He pulled open his closet doors and dug around in the drawers before finding the book and box he had spent the past couple weeks since prom putting together. He climbed into bed with her and turned on the other bedside lamp to allow for as much light as possible so she could see every last detail without straining her eyes. He set the book on her lap and started, "When we were at prom, I realized that I know pretty much all there is to know about your past, pictures included. I've seen your baby pictures, pictures of the day Jeremy was born, even all of your birthdays. But you've never seen pictures of me from when I was human. And I may have lied to you a little when we were at your lake house and you asked about my baby pictures. I told you I didn't have anything from when I was human, but I just didn't want to show it to you yet. But I'm ready now, so if you want, I put everything that I kept from my human life in that book and in this box."

"Really?" She asked hopefully, smiling widely at him while she fingered the edge of the thick cover.

"Yeah, really." He laughed softly then kissed her temple. "Open it."

The first picture she saw was an old black and white, grainy photo of a baby sitting in a woman's lap, dressed in old fashioned clothing. She grinned, "You're a baby here. You were such a chubby baby, oh my god." All he could do was laugh, then she asked, "Is that your mom?"

He nodded, "In her prime. One perfect child and a husband that hadn't started hitting her yet."

"Your father hit her?" Elena gasped.

Damon shrugged, "It wasn't that uncommon back in that time. My father wasn't a good man, if I hadn't made that clear by now. I was all too happy to abandon him when I turned."

"How did she die?"

"Consumption." He answered simply. "I was seventeen. Stefan was ten. I was supposed to give the eulogy, but I couldn't do it…it didn't seem like anything I could say was enough to show much my mother meant to me."

She looked up at him lovingly, "I like seeing this side of you."

He raised a brow, "What, disheartened and miserable? You see that everyday."

She rolled her eyes a little, "No, I meant a mother's son. Don't feel like you have to hide that part of you. Everyone has a mother. Some better than others. But losing them and missing them isn't something to be ashamed of."

And just like that, he fell for her a little more. "Keep looking." He said gently, letting her know he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

So she turned the page, only to come face to face with younger versions of Damon and Stefan posing for a family portrait with their parents. Stefan was probably around two and sitting in their mother's lap while Damon was standing in front of their father, whose hand was on his shoulder.

Flipping to the next page, she saw a photo of Damon dressed in his civil war uniform, looking pretty much the same as he did now. "Sometimes I forget that you're a veteran." She commented, admiring the way his curly hair peeked out from his hat.

"Against my will, might I add. I deserted the war, remember? My father was the one that wanted me to enlist. I didn't believe in the cause for the fight, so I left."

She looked up at him adoringly, "Even back then you weren't afraid to speak your mind and do what you thought was best."

He gave her a pointed look, "More like I didn't want to get killed in war so I ditched. Selfish. But thanks for trying."

"It wasn't selfish of you for wanting to live, Damon." She told him before turning the page.

There weren't many more photos, but most of them were of Damon as a child with his brother. There were a few newspaper articles that he saved as well, including he and his brother's obituaries, as morbid as it was.

And then she got to the shoebox, which she was most excited about. Damon wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she lifted the lid off and got her first look inside. The first thing that grabbed her attention was a stuffed bear that looked as old as it was, if not older. It was missing fur in places yet miraculously had both eyes still intact.

"So this is why you've taken a liking to Mr. Teddy…"

"That's what you named the bear in your room?" He asked incredulously.

She raised a brow, "What's your bear's name?" If she didn't know any better, she would have said that Damon was blushing. Big bad Damon Salvatore, blushing. She grinned widely and nudged his ribs with her elbow, "Come on, what was it?"

"You can't laugh."

"Okay, I promise no laughing. It can't get any worse than Mr. Teddy or Bonnie's bear Ms. Cuddles."

Damon shook his head, as if he couldn't believe he was about to tell her this, "His name is Snuggles."

Elena just smiled brightly in return, mostly at the fact that he was sharing this part of him with her with no reservations. She leaned up to kiss his cheek before moving on to the next object in the box.

It was a small jewelry box, and when Elena opened it, she came face to face with the most expensive looking pair of diamond and sapphire earrings she'd ever seen.

"Those were a gift from my father to my mother for their first anniversary. He was always one to go big or go home."

"Jesus, Damon, these look like they're worth more than everything I own combined!"

Damon shrugged, "Nowadays, in that condition, they probably are."

She blew out a laugh before closing the box and picking up the next item. An envelope filled with money that was no longer in circulation because of how old it was. She then looked at another picture of Damon and his mother that was framed in a detailed silver frame that opened and closed. The last thing in the box was a pair of gold cufflinks with the Salvatore family crest engraved on them.

After putting everything back in the box, Elena set it along with the book on the nightstand and moved to straddle Damon's lap, but not in a sexual way. She held his face between her hands and looked into his mesmerizing blue eyes, "I love you. Thank you for showing all of this to me, Damon, it means a lot to me to get to know every moment of your past and who you were over the years."

"You know who I'll always be?" He asked after a moment, his hands gently stroking her thighs.

"Hm?"

"A man in love with Elena Gilbert. A man that can't get enough of her, and would sooner drive a stake through his heart than lose her."

She smiled warmly, "Okay, Shakespeare, I think that's enough mushy reminiscing for tonight."

He chuckled, "I couldn't agree more."

And just like that, they crawled beneath the sheets to lose themselves in the other. That was always how it had been when they were together—the rest of the world seemed to fall away until they were the only two left. Even in the midst of doppelganger hijinks and hybrid mischief, they always had each other to depend on when all else seemed lost.

Damon was Elena's rock. He kept her standing when she wanted to break. He made her laugh when she was about to cry, and he loved her unconditionally even when she was in love with someone else. He made her question her life, and challenge her existence. He made her think about the world in a way that she'd never seen before.

And to Damon…well, Elena was his everything. Without her, he wouldn't know happiness. He wouldn't know what it meant to be fulfilled. To have purpose. She made him glad that he was alive, which was a feat in and of itself considering he hadn't cared if he lived or died since turning. She gave him his relationship with his brother back, and she mended his broken heart by piecing together every last shard that was destroyed by every person he'd ever loved.

And together, they were each other's perfect match. Destined to be together since they met. Their souls were intertwined so deeply that even in death they couldn't be separated. Their bond was unbreakable; their understanding had evolved into a connection so intense that they could communicate just by one simple look.

There was never any doubt in either of their minds that they weren't meant to be.

Because if either of them had chosen differently, then they never would have gotten their chance at the life they always deserved.


End file.
